Among many other things, this remarkable woman was full of wisdom and great advice. Both of which I took for a long time for granted, until I understood many years later what she had meant.
My favorite of mom's quotes roughly translated from Russian was : "What would you rather Be? The smartest among the average, or the average among the smartest?". Once in a blue moon, I remember this sentence just as well as my answer. And I am happy to say; I know I answered correctly.
Surrounding and competing with people better than you, might not make you feel accomplished as often. But it will make you feel more accomplished. Not to mention everything you will learn. In business as well as in friendship, people who are better than you at certain things, will give you a different perspective. A crucial piece of information, especially when you have your head so far up your ass that it's coming out of your neck full of shit. I know, I know, I definitely wouldn't have said this in front of my mother. Although maybe a bit raw, it definitely helped me make my point. But she definitely would have liked the first part.
I'm at a period when i realized that if you spend your time with people who are wasting it, you will be wasting it as well.I will finish with a Warren Buffet quote. I remember him answering a question on how he is able to dedicate his time to his family with the job that he has and I remember him saying something along the lines of : "I hire people who are better than me so they can be there while I don't have to."
I think both my mom and Warren Buffet were onto something.
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