There is a very well known philosophy made by Peter Carril basketball coach that inspires the competitive spirit at the very essence of success. He arrived to a team whose players were nothing more than average, so at first they'd never even try to to achieve any decent outcome as they weren't as talented or physically prepared as the other teams that compete in the league. However, Carril had other plans for his team.
“If you want to be treated like a star, Princeton is a bad place”
Pete Carril
Carril philosophy is none other than the following: "The strong take from the weak, but the smart take from the strong." In basketball as in any aspect in life, the best way to outperform the competition is to outthink the competition. That is why working hard is important, but to be the very best you have to combine it with experimentation, creativity and originality.
Most people are paying attention to the same things, and not really paying attention to the same things! We live in fast-paced world in where everyone seem to be going anywhere just for a mere economic value.
Even though it may sound kind of strange, the best way to become original it's to not close yourself to your own opinion, but to obtain from every person something to learn from and the build something so incredible that no one will ever believe it's possible. Why settle for being the smartest hit in the room when it's so clearn in so many different settings, that nobody is as smart as everybody.
“In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Another awesome advice to learn from is no other than, if you wanna become better in any aspect of your life, you don't need to be on your own, but working with people who are better than you. Do you really think that if your group is just people who love partying you won't do it? You don't have to be part of just a group, but for me, at least, having the opportunity of meeting people that worked their asses off, and get something out from them, it is absolutely worth it.
Cheers,
Feli