If a thousand people are all saying the same thing, then what is the probability that they’re all wrong? Probably pretty low, unless you take into account the distribution of wealth, success, and lifelong happiness across cultural divisions.

You see, people living in third world countries are just as happy as we are here in America. By all accounts, their lives are just as fulfilling as ours. What does this tell us about our culture, and the values that we share?

The key to their happiness has nothing to do with their impoverished condition. Relative poverty is relative, meaning, in a community where everyone is living on less than $1 per day, living on $2 makes you highly affluent. But here in the US, you won’t get very far with that same $2.

The greatest lesson to be learned from this is that true happiness exists outside of material goods. Rather, it is found in the virtues we hold, and the decision we make to serve our values.

Most importantly, you choose what those value are. If you value studying for hours on end, your grades will be a reflection of that. If you value partying on Friday nights, then your grades will be a reflection of that as well. If you live by the motto, “C’s get degrees”, then your life will reflect that. If you value getting up at 5am to workout, your body will reflect that virtue also.

The consequences of these small actions may not be apparent, but every poor decision you make compounds into a snowball of bad behaviors and bad outcomes.

James Clear writes in his best-selling book Atomic Habits, “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your identity. This is why habits are crucial. They cast repeated votes for being a type of person.”

It is for this reason that we must hold ourselves to the highest of standards. If we consistently cast votes in favor of a person we wish not to become, then our lives will change and adapt to that new way of living. “C’s do in fact get degrees, but only A’s and B’s succeed”.

Being average is not enough. Being exceptional, that should be the aim. Michael Jordan famously said, “All I knew is that I never wanted to be average.”

Malcolm Gladwell elaborates this point further by saying, “It is those who are successful, in other words, who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success… Success is the result of what sociologists like to call ‘accumulative advantage.’”

What are your accumulative advantages? How are your habits shaping the person are slowly becoming?

Michael Jordan’s accumulative advantage was his willingness to practice shooting hoops with his team from 5-7am, because that’s what it takes to become exceptional. The harder he trained, the better he did on the court, and the better he did on the court, the more money companies like Nike would throw his way.

I want my accumulative advantage to be my willingness to outwork the rest of the population. I am not the smartest person in the room, but by God, I can work harder and study longer than my peers. I want to be the first person in the gym each morning, and the last person to leave the library in the evening. Everyday I try my best to live up to this standard of success. Yes, I fail consistently, but I try again the next day.

There are dozens of people surrounding me who choose not to hold themselves to this same kind of standard. If you’re one of these people, then what standards are you holding yourself to? What kind of morals do you live by? How do your actions reflect your character? Those decision are all yours to make. I am not responsible for the life you live.

I’ve always found it fascinating how little I get along with the people of my generation. Most days I feel like an outsider. But when I spend time with older adults, I notice how similar their words are to mine. They have lived out the consequences of their decisions. They have seen, first hand, how their actions have brought them to where they are today.

I used to swim each morning with people like this. Even in their old age, they remained physically active, waking up at 4:30am to be the first people at the pool. People like that inspire me to do the best in my work. When I exchange Christmas cards with them, it truly makes my day. I aspire to learn from their mistakes, absorbing the wisdom they are willing to share, in the hopes that I will be able to use their past experiences as a guiding light for my future.

In conclusion, we all live by some kind of a standard: Every decision we make compounds into lifelong outcomes. What do you want your outcomes to be? What kind of life do you want to lead? What do your actions say about your character? If you ask yourself these questions, the answers may be astonishing.