15 TRAITS Of The SUPERIOR MAN
Hello Alexers! On this Sunday motivational video, we're looking at how to become a superior individual. There's always room to become a better person, yet most people decide to become complacent in their mediocrity. So, a discussion on the traits and the lifestyle of the superior man or woman, whatever gender, should serve us all well.
The superior man seeks what is in himself; the weak man seeks what others have. They pursue improvement for the sake of impact. The superior man will put virtue above comfort, for virtue means you're playing long-term games in the detriment of the short-term ones. Dissatisfied with who they are and what their life is, anyone can choose to do something about it.
Welcome to alux.com, the place where future billionaires come to get inspired. If you're not subscribed yet, you're missing out! Here are 15 traits of the superior individual that one should pursue in order to elevate themselves.
Number one: Beyond successful and respected, but humble and relatable. This duality between societal success while being grounded and approachable is like the Goldilocks zone of individual achievement. We think Confucius put it best when he said, "The superior man is modest in his speech but exceeds in his actions." Others look to them for advice and guidance. They set trends, they prove their worth and judgment, and now they're leaders in their community. They're the trailblazers, the ones who lead by example. When children grow up, they want to be like this person, achieve success, earn the praise, but don't ever forget that at one point you were also starting out at the bottom yourself.
Number two: Happy. For some weird reason, society has connected success with unhappiness. The smarter you are, the less happy society expects you to be. But here's the deep question: If you're so smart, why are you not happy? Why can't you fix your happiness with that big brain of yours? The superior individual pursues a happy lifestyle not for the fleeting moment of pleasure that can be misconstrued as happiness. You don't want to give the impression of happiness; you want to really be happy. To get there, one has to know themselves, and in order to know oneself, you need to explore. That's how the superior man got to where they are today, by exploring the world and reaping the benefits of that conquest.
Number three: Understands his limitations and understands that some of them are self-imposed. To understand one's limitations is a sign of competence. As individuals, we're not supposed to be the universal solution that serves everybody and everybody likes us. Instead, the superior man will understand what their strengths are and will bet heavily on those. In the game of life, betting on your strengths leads to better results than trying to fix your weaknesses. The superior individual knows not to allow the limitations of those around you to become your own. You want to be expansive in life—go into your personal unknown and see what you find. Even if what awaits isn't pleasant, you're still growing from the experience. Don't be scared to search for your limits. If you can't face your fears, they become your limitations.
Number four: Highly educated. We heard a great quote once that stuck with us, and it says something like this: "Beware of the man of a single book." Think about it and interpret it any way you want. When talking about education, we're not focusing on degrees but about wisdom. Education is the sum of all of our experiences. It's usually the thing you use to navigate life after you're done with traditional school. In this context, being highly educated translates to an understanding of things beyond oneself, such as different cultures and customs. Highly educated people can easily carry on a conversation with anybody on a variety of topics. It doesn't mean you're a walking encyclopedia—far from it. But at its core, the superior individual has curiosity for understanding the world. The truth is, a well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers. Being real humble and kind is a sign of your education.
Number five: Hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills make you qualified for a position; soft skills are what help you nail the interview. Hard skills are what you're able to build; soft skills show how you're able to get other people to build it with you. If all you have are hard skills, someone will hire you to build out their dream. If all you have are soft skills, you'll need to figure out how to convince builders to help you build your own. The superior individual has both, as both are incredibly valuable when put together. Soft skills are more about who you are than what you know, and you can develop those through the education we mentioned earlier. It's those education routes that form who we are and the values that we stand for. Don't be the person who loses politeness as soon as they get a little bit of power. Society is changing; the truth is, it's only now we're starting to really value soft skills as more and more hard skills get automated. In the world of the future, hard skills will program the robots based on the soft skills of other humans.
Number six: Can cook and is a great host. What most people don't know is that cooking is less about food and more about people. Food is one of the very few things in this world that has the power to bring everybody together. That's why we put cooking and being a great host together, because they serve the same purpose—that of bringing people together. Understanding food is to understand health and, to an extent, understanding that you are feeding not yourself but the body in which you inhabit. A person who understands food is a person versed in the fabric of society, for society gravitates around food. No one is born a great cook; as with everything great in life, one learns by doing. It's the same with being a great host; as with any valuable skill, it requires practice, study, and creativity. A guest never forgets a host that made them feel welcomed. People remember how we make them feel, and the superior man builds his set of skills over time.
Number seven: Can speak art. Great art can be understood by everyone; it speaks to all of us without knowing any of us. When talking about art, most people think of pretty paintings on the walls of some museum, but art is everything that makes you feel something. Art is culture encapsulated at different moments in time. The superior man thrives when surrounded by art—living in a beautiful city, having access to the mountains or the beach, listening to music that makes your soul move, and looking in the eyes of someone you love as your heart picks up speed—that is all art. The moment you understand this, your perception of art shifts. All of a sudden, photographs or paintings on the wall are no longer just pretty canvases but stories from the past, feelings from the past that have stood the test of time. To know art is to understand the world, for the world in itself is art.
Number eight: Well traveled and wise. Most people confuse tourism with traveling. You don't travel to a destination; you travel to learn, to see things differently. How we see the world changes when we travel successfully, for it's not the lands that are foreign in a journey; it's the traveler who is foreign to those lands. You're already traveling through time and space every day, but doing it purposefully adds another layer to our existence. The superior man looks at traveling as education. You can memorize geography from a book or go to explore it in person—see what it's really like, what it smells and tastes like. The superior individual doesn't travel to get somewhere; they travel to find more of who they are. Find time to travel before your time runs out.
Number nine: Speaks more than one language. Here's something most people don't know: You can never understand one language until you understand at least two. We've always found it fascinating how switching between languages alters the way we think. Language defines culture, and different cultures live differently. Language is the roadmap of a culture; it tells you where people come from and where they're going. It's amazing how much more complex of an individual you are the moment you add a new language. You begin to understand context, to make connections you would otherwise miss. But that's not all; it allows you to have a different kind of connection with others. It's selfless. You don't want them to conform to you; instead, you're making an effort to reach out to them in their own language.
Number ten: Crushing every goal. The superior individual is always moving, always in pursuit, always climbing, even when they no longer have to prove anything to anyone else. They do it for themselves. Very few people have real goals; most have wishes. Most hope their wish comes true. The superior individual cannot leave their future up to chance; they have to make sure the future they want is being built, so they build it themselves. As a society, we have deep respect for people who do what they say they'll do, so become one of those people. Set goals for yourself and then pursue them strategically; use everything you learn in life to give you a better shot at hitting those goals. We can't wait to reopen our doors to goal mastery. For those of you who missed it during the launch, go to alux.com/goals and make sure your email is on the waiting list so you get a notification when the course goes live.
Number eleven: Etiquette and manners. Sometimes it might feel like the world rewards those who are the loudest and yell the most, for we live in a society that craves attention. This is one of those reasons why fame is so disconnected from excellence. Being polite today means you're being fake. Manners don't matter because manners don't serve you—the number one most important person in the world. But manners and etiquette aren't about you; it's about everyone else. There's a grace to going through life, and the superior individual understands this grace. The wine tastes different when drank from a wine glass rather than a cup. Society is calmer when we treat our elders with respect—not because of their age, but because of how much of what life is they have in them. Manners maketh the man, for it's these exact manners and attitude towards life that separates us from every other being. Learn about manners; learn proper techniques, because these are the findings of all generations that came before you into elevating your experience here.
Number twelve: Contributes to the well-being of others. Last Sunday, we published our longest piece yet—a 52-minute video on the purpose of wealth, in which we touch upon the many ways wealth facilitates progress. The superior man understands that being the only one full in an environment of empty people is no way to go through life and enjoy it. So one makes it a priority to contribute, to be the tide that raises all boats. The superior individual understands that all our rewards in life are in exact proportion to our contributions to the world. That's why people say you get back what you put out there. The highest form of being is when you put things out there expecting nothing in return. As best described by the words of the ancient Greeks: "A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit."
Number thirteen: Pushes everyone to step up their game. The superior man is the one who changes the game. When Nadia Comaneci scored a perfect 10 at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, the scoreboard wasn't even designed to show the number 10 because they didn't believe it was possible, so the board showed 1.00. When Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile in 1954, the world stood in shock because the game had changed. When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone, or Elon Musk with the Tesla, the game had once again changed. The superior individual is not a follower; they break away from the pack and make their own road. Everybody else follows. When you have the power to do it, it's almost irresponsible not to.
Number fourteen: They don't need to talk to have their presence felt. This spurs from a state of trust and respect the community has for the superior individual. One gets to this point by proving their judgment time and time again. We're all sums of the decisions that we've made up until this point, and good decisions compound over time. This is why society looks up to those individuals and mimics their approach. Your presence, your ideas, and what you stand for transcends physical space and time, and that's how superior individuals live forever. Build your legacy, and may your presence be felt forever.
Number fifteen: Takes care of their family. The fundamental idea of this piece is to look into what makes a superior person—the traits, the way they relate to their environment, and so on. The deeper we dig, the more we discover that the superior individual plays a parental role in society. The superior man is the father you never had but feel like you need. This idea is engraved in our culture. We put individuals on pedestals and learn from them—be it the Oprahs, the Elons, the spiritual guides, the authors, the Jordan Petersons, the Navals, the Teals, the Goggins—the ones you know best. These are superior individuals because we strive to be in some portion like them. Once you shift away from looking up to being looked up at, the perspective changes. A person who doesn't take care of their family can never be actually wealthy. The one who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man. Yes, this is from The Godfather movie, but Corleone teaches a timeless lesson here: If you're in a fortunate position to fill the role of a parent, take care of your family, and then expand that family until it includes everyone.
We still feel like there are more traits that we could add to this list, so why don't you pick up from here? Let us know in the comments what are some traits superior individuals have. We'll reward with hearts those who provide value to the Alux family. And as for those of you still watching, of course, there's a bonus waiting: Shut down the noisy demands of the world.
The world will never stop demanding from you. It'll take and take until there's nothing left of you, and then move on to take from somebody else. The superior man or woman is someone who manages to break free from societal expectations without becoming toxic to society. The one question that we've been trying to figure out ourselves that we believe would be of value is: How do we become who we want to be while still remaining ourselves? In the pursuit of personal improvement, we are handpicking the core values we hold dear and upgrading our lives around those. It's been working well so far.
The problems we've identified are when the upgrades we're looking to install are not based on where we want to go, but on what the world would like us to do. Be careful with the demands of the world, for they're noisy, and sometimes the world might be heading in a direction where you don't want to go. In a universe filled with noise, those who find silence are the true winners. We wish all of you will find your silence and, in it, the clarity you need to move forward. If you're ready to begin your pursuit, please write the word "silence" in the comments so we know how many of you have watched this video until the very end.