Someone asked me what was the real distinction – the essence of the difference in the DNA – between high-level achievers versus the average person. Thinking deeply about it, I believe there is one uniquely consequential difference…
If you ask me what leads the most people to lives of mediocrity, it would be trying to justify "sunk costs." They are on the wrong path, but are desperate to salvage their investment of time, money and/or resources.
Think about a newborn kitten or puppy, or a toddler left to her own devices. They are all inherently happy. It is their natural state. And your natural state as a human being.
Life without self-awareness can hardly be called life. Because if you don’t have self-awareness, you’re simply a puppet or a robot operated and manipulated by forces outside of yourself.
