From the second you are born, your life is a circle. Everyone’s circle, regardless of birth status or other factors, begins the same way and creates the foundation for the rest of our lives. As an infant, your only skills are eating, pooping and crying. But as you add in some basic cognitive skills and motor abilities, and that is the full extent of your circle. Then, your circle begins to grow rapidly as a child.

Every day, you are trying new things and gaining experience. You begin to crawl, learn words, meet people, walk, communicate, etc. With each new accomplishment, your circle expands to enclose the extent of your life. However, these abilities did not come without failure. As a child, you tried to walk and fell repeatedly. You attempted to speak and only produced incomprehensible babble. You failed constantly but never gave up. And eventually your efforts were successful.

As an adult, our once rapidly expanding circles begin to grow at a much slower pace, potentially even halting in development. We stop trying new things to avoid uncomfortable situations. We are afraid of failure, so we avoid making efforts that will not guarantee success.

Unlike the child versions of ourselves, we are terrified to fall. We have forgotten the patience required for success. So we do the same activities every day, as part of a societal routine. We become content with the experiences that we believe we were fortunate enough to have in the first place. As a result, our circles become stagnant.

The Separation of the Elite

The circle of an Elite person is different. It is a much larger, more developed circle. And unlike other adult circles, the Elite circle is always growing. Every added bit of self-education, every little risk, every new adventure, and every decision to break from monotony augments the Elite circle. This continuous series of tiny personal growths is what eventually leads to achievement and success.

Initially, however, much like a child, nothing comes without extensive failure. The person who tries, fails and keeps trying is the only one who can eventually obtain success. This recipe for growth, the series of successes intermittent with countless failures, is the only path to Elite status.

By collecting a lengthy roster of victories and failures, the Elite person also builds essential intrinsic qualities, such as perseverance, hard work, leadership, and self-motivation. These skills are the characteristics that, when combined, are able to help lift a person to an Elite status of success. This reinforces the point that an obvious strong positive correlation exists between the magnitude of one’s circle and their ability to conjure successes.

Making the Leap from Average to Elite

Fortunately, this is proof that the Elite do not live much different lives than the rest of the population. They, too, started as an infant circle: eating, pooping, crying. Somewhere in their development, they just managed to build more skills, have more impactful experiences, and take more beneficial risks while others became stagnant. Despite their vulnerability to failure, the Elite were brave and resilient. All others cowered in the safety of familiarity, avoiding the potential of negative results and, ultimately, the prospective for immeasurable successes.

But yet, with some effort, a sedentary circle does have the ability to develop. To begin, it is essential to step out of your current, comfortable circle into unexplored areas. Try new things. Be fearless. Aim to be an interesting person with advanced skills and exciting experiences. At first it may be difficult and even a little daunting. But after the first few efforts, the idea of personal growth will become a normal part of your life, your circle.

As Newton told us, an object in motion will stay in motion. A growing circle will continue to grow. Eventually, the quality of your life will improve and your circle will reflect your triumphs. Work on your circle, and you can grow to be Elite.

Christina Atterbury | Elite.