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"If You’re the Best One in the Room, You’re in the Wrong Room"


It feels good to be the best. You get recognition, a sense of accomplishment, and hopefully compensation. If you're the best person in the room, though, you're probably not getting challenged anymore.

Personal finance blog Emma Lincoln explains that if you feel like the worst in the room at what you're doing—whether it's your job or just working out at the gym—that means you're surrounded by people you can learn from. Or, at the very least, people who can give you the rough lessons you need to get better:

Yes, it feels good to be good at something. To be the teacher's pet. To dance at the front of your Zumba class. To hang out with people who admire you. To be the most responsible person at a party, or the most well-adjusted couple in your social circle. It feels good. But it won't kick your ass. And an ass-kicking produces results faster than an ego-stroke.

Being the worst person in the room gives you motivation to get better so you're not on the bottom anymore. However, being the top of your class probably means it's time to move on to another class. No matter where you are, as long as you're not afraid to challenge yourself, you can continue to improve and make yourself more valuable to the room.

Are You the Worst? | Emma Lincoln via Rockstar Finance

Photo by Heisenberg Media.