How to get ahead of 99% of people

If you want an extraordinary life, you can't live like an ordinary person. Matt Graham said, "the people that criticize you for being exceptional are those that have already accepted the fact that they're going to be mediocre." A YouTuber with a million subscribers will never make fun of you for trying to start your YouTube channel because they know what it's like to post their first video. A black belt in Jiu Jitsu is not going to make fun of you for struggling as a white belt, because they too at some point were a struggling white belt. A millionaire is not going to make fun of you for trying to start a business because they too had to try to start a business.

Only the people that are too scared to do what you're trying to do are the ones that are going to make fun of you. Only the people that will always be nobody and always be nothing are going to criticize you for trying to be exceptional because they don't want you to hold the mirror up to them. They want you to be nobody and nothing right along with them.

Since childhood, I've always had this desire for constant improvement. Not everyone enjoys the process of getting better and that's okay. Some people may even argue that constantly striving for greatness isn't the way to live. But for those who embrace the pain, who believe that all good things lie beyond the struggle, the journey becomes magical. They live in a society where taking care of your body, mind, and soul is considered boring. Working non-stop toward your goal is labeled unhealthy. Giving your absolute best is deemed toxic.

But what if we could flip the script? What does it take to be more successful than 99% of people and why is being ordinary the enemy of progress? How can we excel in every aspect of our life? Hard work alone won't make you successful. Going to the gym every day, reading hundreds of books, attending seminars, or taking countless online courses won't guarantee success either.

What will make you successful is implementing the lessons you've learned from your experiences in the areas you want to excel. For example, going to the gym isn't about getting fit—it's about cultivating this and building confidence each time you look into the mirror. Then you take this discipline and the confidence in your work ethic. If you want to be in the top one percent, hard work won't be enough to set you apart. Everyone in that tier is working hard, displaying grit and perseverance. So, what will make you different from the rest?

It's the combination of your unfair advantages: hard work, grit, patience, and consistency. An unfair advantage is a condition, asset, or circumstance that puts you in a favorable position. We all have unfair advantages like where we were born, who we know, and what resources we have. It's not about denying these advantages; it's about using them to your benefit to find where you want to be ahead of 99% of people.

Pay attention to your jealousy; instead of seeing it as a negative emotion, use it as a life compass to guide you toward areas where you want to truly excel. The world is inherently unfair and it always will be. The game will never be equal, but the choice is yours: either learn the rules, play accordingly, and win or complain about the rules and lose.

Winning is never easy, but with the right mindset and strategy, you can rise above mediocrity and live an extraordinary life.

Step 1: Take full responsibility for your life. The world is extremely unfair and always will be, but if you keep focusing on the unfairness of the world and do nothing, your kids, the generation after you, will also suffer. Instead of focusing on the things you can't control, shift your attention to the things you can control. Life is full of choices and every choice we make shapes our future. If you want to create an extraordinary life, you need to take full responsibility for your actions and decisions.

Stop blaming external factors for your shortcomings and start owning up to your mistakes. I hear people saying, "But I'm this," or "But I'm in that situation," "I can't do this," blah blah blah. You don't need to follow someone's path; there is always something to do. There is always a way to improve, and you and the person you aspire to be have different starting points.

It's not going to be easy. If it were a life or death scenario and you had no other choice but to succeed, you would succeed. But you have a way out; you have a backup plan. You have already envisioned the scenario where you fail, and that’s why you will. Because if you have a way out, you’re going to take that as soon as things get hard.

When I started this channel, it was my fifth attempt in five years to succeed. I took a break from med school due to COVID and fully concentrated on my YouTube channel. I was in a scenario where I had no choice but to succeed. Every day, I imagined my friends going to med school, getting ahead of me in life, and then when my channel started to grow and everything seemed fine, I got softer; my discipline started to fall off.

But when my uncle scammed us into all of our savings, my dad lost his job, and our money that we saved for our life was gone, I was again put in a situation where I had no choice but to grow my channel, make money, and protect my family. I lost all procrastination and started to work harder and harder.

For the first time in my life, I saw my family cry, and I promised myself that I would never let them down—never make them cry other than happiness. After that event, my YouTube channel skyrocketed. My revenue tripled, I got into the school I wanted, and I started to take care of my body and my mind. I was put in a situation where there was no way out, and that's when I thrived. Every single day, when I want to quit, I remind myself of the promise I gave myself to protect my family, and that's what makes me keep going.

Achieving something worthwhile is never easy. If it were, no one would fantasize about it. You can't get rich by accident or get in shape by accident. Similarly, you can't build long-lasting healthy relationships with others by accident; you won't become healthy by doing nothing. Every goal you desire or aspire to requires action, and no matter how long you pursue it, it will never become easy. You will only become stronger.

Step 2: Identify your unfair advantages. In life, we often compare ourselves to others and feel down because of differences in our upbringings, education, or financial status. However, instead of dwelling on these differences, we should focus on discovering our own unfair advantages and using them to our benefit. We all have unique strengths that cannot be easily copied or bought, and it's important to recognize and leverage them.

To identify our unfair advantages, we need to understand the MILES framework from the book "Unfair Advantages." This categorizes unfair advantages into five main categories: Money, Intelligence, Location, Education, and Status. Before talking about each category, let's first understand the properties of unfair advantages.

The first property is that we all have them. Even negative things can become your unfair advantage. If you're coming from a poor family, you're more likely to be ambitious than kids coming from rich families because you have a hunger for things that they already naturally have. You'll probably appreciate small things because you know where you're coming from. But as a rich kid, you have resources, opportunities, and a safety net provided by your family.

I've seen so many rich kids wanting to do nothing because they have everything. They don't want anything. A rich kid with a hunger is quite rare, and when they have that hunger, they become one of the top leaders most of the time. Rich kids' family situations are often quite complicated too. Usually, their parents cheat on each other, get divorced, or they may not receive much love from their parents since they always tend to work.

I'm not saying that this doesn't happen with poor families, but when you are rich, more people try to get closer to you, and if you don't pick the right people, they can easily ruin your life.

The second property is that unfair advantages are unique to you. Because nobody can replace you, even as biological twins in the same family, you will have different unfair advantages. We are all unique creatures, and there is only one you in this world, so your unfair advantage is going to be unique to you.

Unfair advantages are also a double-edged sword. When you don't know how to use your unfair advantage, it can easily become an enemy of yours. Physical attractiveness, for example, can be another unfair advantage. Studies have shown that attractive people are often perceived as more likable, competent, and persuasive. While this can help you succeed in various aspects of life, it can also be a double-edged sword. You might face challenges in being taken seriously for your intellect, skills, or hard work. Everybody will say it's because of your looks. Sure, it will help, but it's not the only thing.

It may also result in jealousy and resentment. Attractive people may even face workplace ostracism or be accused of using their looks to advance their careers. Furthermore, you could develop an over-reliance on your looks and neglect other vital aspects of personal and professional growth. I've seen so many beautiful people, but most of the time their personality sucks because nobody points insults at them.

So, unfair advantages are all about how you use them. Let's talk about the main unfair advantages. The first one is money. Having money or the opportunity to make money can be an unfair advantage. Money can be an unfair advantage in many ways, especially in a capitalist society. Everything revolves around money. If you have money, you have access to almost everything.

Being able to make money can be another unfair advantage. If you live in a developed country, it's often much easier to make money compared to less developed countries. For example, when I was starting my YouTube channel, I worked at a restaurant in Japan making around eight to nine dollars per hour. I also worked at a hotel as a part-time cleaning lady. By working for a month, I made over 1K and invested that money into my gear to start this YouTube channel. From there, I created videos every single week, and with the money I made, I reinvested into my YouTube business. It almost grew to 1 million subscribers.

If I didn't hunt for the unfair advantage to work at a restaurant, I wouldn't have been able to make money. But luckily now, you can make money online; even just with your phone, you can learn skills online for free, sell them to people, and with the money you earn, you'll learn more and invest in your business and grow it.

I know it's not easy, but when compared to the times when people didn't have access to the internet, it's much easier now. Let's talk about intelligence and insight. When we hear "intelligence," oftentimes people think about book smarts—the people who got good grades and have a high IQ—but that's not the only type of intelligence. There are many types such as linguistic, logical, mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist intelligence.

These types of intelligence enable individuals to excel in different fields such as writers, mathematicians, athletes, or musicians. Insight is the ability to perceive complex situations, patterns, or meanings that aren't immediately apparent. It leads to innovative solutions and foresight. People with strong insights can predict trends and make better decisions in various aspects of life, such as business or personal development.

Now, location and luck play a significant role as unfair advantages in one's life. Being born in a developed country or an undeveloped country comes with its own sets of pros and cons.

Now let's talk about the unfair advantage of education and expertise. One of the most significant developments in recent years is the rise of online learning, which has provided a massive unfair advantage to anyone with access to the internet. Think about it: knowledge is power, and the internet has made it possible to access a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips. If you're fluent in English, you're even more privileged as it's one of the most widely spoken languages in the world with countless educational resources available.

There are countless free online courses, tutorials, and other educational materials that are available in English. This means that anyone with internet access in English has the opportunity to acquire new skills, expand their knowledge, and improve their expertise.

I was editing my own videos until the 800K mark, like 99% of the time, and I learned editing from YouTube for free. I didn't have a MacBook because it was very expensive and I couldn't afford it. I had an iPad, which I got myself by working at a restaurant, and I edited my first 20 to 30 videos by watching YouTube tutorials.

I learned how to edit, looking at YouTube, checking my editing, and if I had a problem, I would type it on YouTube and see if there were any tutorials solving that problem. I learned English from watching YouTube videos. I learned how to create a website, how to make money online, and I learned how to lift weights and take care of my body and mental health from various podcasts like Huberman Lab, fitness channels, etc., for free.

This online learning revolution has leveled the playing field, giving individuals from all backgrounds the chance to gain knowledge and expertise. It's a huge unfair advantage for those who leverage it as they can access a high-quality education without the need for expensive tuition or attending a prestigious institution. If you know which channels to follow, YouTube can become your university.

Now we can listen to high successful people's strategies, stories, and their way of thinking for free from our home. A couple of years ago, you wouldn't even come across them in your day-to-day life; you wouldn't even know they exist. Imagine how big of an unfair advantage that is.

High-status individuals often have better access to resources, opportunities, and networks, but there are also downsides to it. Being a high-status person can mean facing increased scrutiny and pressure to maintain their reputation, which can be mentally exhausting. Also, their motives may be questioned, with others wondering if they are genuinely interested in forming relationships or simply seeking personal gain.

By following the MILES framework, you can identify and capitalize on your unique strengths to achieve your goals and stand out from the crowd.

Step 3: Determine the direction you want to go and how to leverage your unfair advantages. To leverage your unfair advantages, you must first identify what they are. Consider the MILES framework, which categorizes unfair advantages into money, intelligence, location, education, and status as we talked. Once you have identified your unfair advantages, determine the direction you want to go and how to use your unfair advantages to achieve your goals.

Everyone has unique strengths and advantages, and also disadvantages, but it's up to you how you use them and leverage them to achieve your goals and live an extraordinary life. You may be tired or struggling, even ready to quit; all that might be true. However, you need to understand that this is what it takes.

What you are experiencing and going through right now is exactly what you must endure to reach your desired destination. The reason why so few people reach their goals is that they stop when things get tough—when everything seems to be against them and they have every reason to give up. This is when 99% of people quit. This is precisely when you must remind yourself to keep going because this is where you separate yourself from those who spend their lives wishing for a life they are not cut out for, but you are.

"Stop it! Why do you push yourself like this? Let's go to a party and have fun all night! Take a break—relax, rest your feet up. You don't have to go to the gym; you look good already! What are you trying to save, the world or something?"

When you receive comments like this, it can feel like people are questioning you, and you’re misunderstood. You may even feel like an outcast in your own circle. But here's the thing: do you look at the people who criticize you and say to yourself, "Yeah, I want their life"? The truth is that the average person doesn't actually enjoy their life that much. They might think they do, but if eating yourself into an early grave, working at a job you don't like, just to spend your money on media and products that are decreasing in quality every single day, and spending more time staring at screens than outside is the hallmark of a good life, then count me out.

Call me crazy, call me weird, call me whatever you want. When I look at the state of the average person, I sleep like a baby knowing that I don't fit in with them. Also, no matter what you do, somebody’s going to have a problem with it. You could try to present yourself perfectly to the world and somebody is going to have a problem with your idea of perfect.

But the good news is that not everyone’s opinion matters. In fact, most people's opinions don't matter at all. The only people's opinions that should matter to you are those that you respect and whose judgment you trust. Why would you care about the opinion of somebody who doesn't share any of your values—who embodies everything that you don't believe in?

If you would never go to somebody for advice because they constantly make decisions that you wouldn't make in a million years, why would you get upset when they disagree with one of yours? Look at the people around you—who you want to emulate, who you want to be, who embody your values, and who are where you want to be. Those are the people you should listen to, and screw everyone else.

When I started my first YouTube channel eight years ago, people criticized me. They told me it was cringy and I would never succeed as a YouTuber. But I didn't care what they thought; I focused on my channel, taking one step at a time. I listened to other aspiring creators and already established creators to succeed. These are the people I admire: those who aren't scared to put themselves out there and pursue their dreams—not the people who make fun of others’ goals and dreams while wasting their own time doing nothing—not the people who don't even have the courage to do what I do.

Don't forget: no critique has a statute. You need to constantly give yourself feedback; you need to measure your progress. If you’re trying to lose weight, you need to track your weight, workouts, sleep, and eating habits to see if they’re working. If you’re trying to build a YouTube channel, no matter how painful it is to look, you need to review your YouTube studio and data analytics to see how your video is performing.

You need to ask yourself honestly why it’s not performing well and improve those areas. If you're trying to be academically successful, you need to review your test scores and break down each topic you need to study. After you have broken down all the details, you can take action and improve your weak points. The next time, absorb what went wrong and what went right, then decide your next action.

By constantly continuing these steps and applying all of them into your life, you can create a life that is ahead of 99% of people. See you soon.