◊ By Simona Rich

 Visit ORGANIC SHOP by Pure & Eco India

It’s very natural for people to learn by example and make choices that are tried and tested by others. But such an attitude towards life should not be blindly adopted because if you do what the masses do, you’ll end up in a place where the masses are, which is called ‘mediocrity’.

It can be quite scary to stand out from the crowd and to make unconventional choices, yet such a stance is what gains you an exceptional place in life. There aren’t many people at the top, because the ones from the crowd never get to the top – they’re busy fighting with each other and competing at the bottom or somewhere around the middle. Be it at the bottom or in the middle, these aren’t comfortable places to dwell – it’s much more beautiful and spacious at the top.

In a country such as India, common opinion matters. People pay a great deal of attention to the opinions of family members, and they try not to make too many “waves” in their community. But you must understand that this attitude is fear based, and fear based attitudes don’t lead anywhere good.

If you want to have an exceptional life, be it exceptional in the sense of having a wonderful relationship, abundance, or great career, you must make uncommon choices. Such choices will create some friction in the community because the crowd dislikes those striving to rise above it, and, therefore, will try to bring you down. Never allow such crowd effort to affect you. Never react negatively when you’re faced with jealous or aggressive remarks, or even when you’re laughed at. If you react to such remarks, the crowd succeeds in dragging you down to its level. It’s your responsibility to set a good example and not be soiled by such attitudes.

However people react to your unconventional choices, always keep your sight on the goal, and take action not in response to what the crowd says about you, but take planned action designed to develop you to the degree that you’re worthy of being at the top.

You cannot achieve great abundance or succeed in business or in any other pursuit by being the same person that you are today. At this moment, you are the person that deserves the circumstances that you have now. It’s not true that you deserve better—you’ll only get better things when you become better. So if you want your circumstances to change, your character must improve.

You must polish the diamond that you are in such a way that all its sharp edges are removed. Allow life to polish you up—learn from every experience and every person. Strive to remove all unhealthy and discordant character traits and bad habits in yourself. The better person you become, the better set of circumstances you’ll find yourself in.

Here’s the most important point for you to remember—don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd. Only unconventional choices ensure exceptional quality of life.

When you start making unconventional choices with your sight focused only on the goal of a better life, you’ll also have to face all kinds of challenges. These challenges must come, because you’re making progress towards the state which you haven’t experienced before.

In summary, never follow the crowd if you don’t want to experience the life of mediocrity. Instead, make unconventional choices and always keep your sight on the goal. Allow life to polish you up, as only by improving your being can you experience improved circumstances. Finally, never be afraid of new challenges that must come – they are unavoidable stepping stones to a better future.