Proof That 'Average' is Ruining America

I don’t know if you've noticed lately but everyone performing at average levels seems to be miserable and at-risk. Average marriages, average grades, average income, average investment returns, average attitudes, average business... average sucks.

I want to give you a picture of average today.

1. The average American is a homeowner (63.8%). (data) (solution)
2. The average American lives in a 2,736 square foot house. (data)

3. The average US consumer spends 40 minutes on Facebook per day. (data) (solution)

4. The average American is taking, at least, one prescription drug. (data) (solution)

5. The average American household takes in 66K and after taxes has 53K. (data) (solution)

From those taking in 53K a year, below are the average expenses. How do you compare?

Average Annual American Expenditures

? $9,073 on transportation (car payments, fuel, maintenance, airline tickets etc.)
? $6,759 on food
? $1,786 on clothes
? $2,728 on entertainment
? $17,798 on housing
? $4,290 on health care
? $1,788 on cash contributions (child support, donations etc.)
? $3,548 on other expenditures
? $5,726 on insurance

Let’s say you are average and spend $6,759 each year on food, of which $3,971 is food for home and $2,787 is spent at restaurants, cafes, and food to go. If you are average and eat 3 meals a day, 365 days a year, that adds up to 2,737 meals a year for the average family. You spend on average $2.46 per meal. How many meals have you spent only $2.46 on?

Is there room for savings there? You could save 10 cents here and there buying generic brands rather than name brands. But there’s not much room to go any lower. What are you going to do, never eat out and start eating Ramon Noodle for dinner 3 times a week? Even then, you might have an extra $1,000 by year end. Will that be enough to invest and get you rich? No. No one gets rich off an extra $1,000 a year.

On that kind of budget, nobody is going to save their way to riches. What else are you going to do, turn the lights off and save $10 bucks a month? Save a few grand and take the bus? Even if you are able to save $5,000 by cutting expenses everywhere, investing in tiny amounts will bring tiny returns. Nobody gets rich saving $5,000 a year either.

Income levels are not staying even with the cost of living.

Household income has grown by 26% in the past 12 years, but the cost of living has gone up 29% in that time period.

Average doesn’t work in any area of life. Anything that you give only average amounts of attention to will start to subside and will eventually cease to exist. Companies, industries, artists, products, and individuals who continue into the future successfully are those who approach every activity with the outlook that average is just not good enough. You need to change your commitment and thinking to be far above any concepts of average.

To make an income above the average you have to be extraordinary.

The middle class is getting squeezed and there is only one way out—increase your income. I’ve been saying this and will continue to do so, people need to get a mindset of expanding not contracting. Stop worrying about that $3 cup of coffee. You won’t get rich saving 1, 5 or even 10K a year.

10X the average. Have a goal so big you stay interested long through the obstacles and self-doubt. Even if you only hit 2x the average, that would bring you close to the 125K that would begin to get your head above the water. But if you aim for 2x you will not hit it—you'll get lucky if you increase your income at all with that small think. Let the masses walk the mile, you go the 10X extra mile. Do what others refuse to do. The average have little to save, nothing to invest, and are one emergency away from financial ruin.

I became so sick of average that I even changed the way I hire people.

“Whatever It Takes: The Ultimate Job Interview” is a reality TV show I created as the ultimate job interview experience. It follows me through my unscripted hiring process with a group of live contestants—I'm not held back by any major network—this is TRUE reality TV.

These job seekers, from recent graduates to seasoned sales professionals, are trying to prove that they have Whatever It Takes to join my team. Average is a failing formula and I will not tolerate it at my company.

Season 2 of Whatever It Takes premieres TOMORROW NIGHT, April 1st, at 10 pm EST at www.TheUltimateJobInterview.com. No joke.

Be great,

GC