By David Holland
LinkedIn is full of LISTS - the How, Why and Habits of people that are somehow more "successful" than you are - and you read them in the vain hope that if we copy and model the patterns of behaviour; you too will be better looking, richer and happier...It always intrigues me that most of the LISTS are written by people who actually aren't that successful...
And even if you copy the HABITS of Richard Branson, Mark Cuban or Elon Musk - you won't get their results...
Because you are not them, you don't have their personality, the time and location is different - plus, they have already done it...
If you have any doubt - just read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
And if you walk over Hot Coals in a damp car-park in London - you won't become instantly more successful success either...
In fact have you ever heard a top Billionaire - Branson for example - say...
Yes my success is all down to walking over some hot embers in a pub car park...Of course not - because it's not true...
So here's a different take on the Nine Habits of Successful people - I have scoured the web and conducted detailed research looking for the top advice in this area...
The main thing that "successful" people do is not read lists about what successful people do...
Plus successful people don't write lists - they don't know what makes them successful they just "are"...
How do people become successful - simple - they figure out a way to add value to peoples lives and businesses...The more value they can give the more money and success they get in return - it's s simple law of Reciprocation. So stop it with your Top 10 Lists, your incantations and Unicorn Hunting and start working on how you can add the most value to someone...
I hope this reassures people that you really don't have to worry about conforming with some mythical list - which is made up on the spot by most authors anyway - you just have to figure out how to add value and then work at it until you get results..
Have a great weekend - and remember - 74.3% of successful people go swimming in the Pacific on Sunday mornings...
So I'm off to the Pub...
LinkedIn is full of LISTS - the How, Why and Habits of people that are somehow more "successful" than you are - and you read them in the vain hope that if we copy and model the patterns of behaviour; you too will be better looking, richer and happier...It always intrigues me that most of the LISTS are written by people who actually aren't that successful...
And even if you copy the HABITS of Richard Branson, Mark Cuban or Elon Musk - you won't get their results...
Because you are not them, you don't have their personality, the time and location is different - plus, they have already done it...
If you have any doubt - just read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
And if you walk over Hot Coals in a damp car-park in London - you won't become instantly more successful success either...
In fact have you ever heard a top Billionaire - Branson for example - say...
Yes my success is all down to walking over some hot embers in a pub car park...Of course not - because it's not true...
So here's a different take on the Nine Habits of Successful people - I have scoured the web and conducted detailed research looking for the top advice in this area...
- They Get up 1 Hour Early - no they don't. There is no early or late for truly successful people they work and live according to their lifestyle and business choices...
Success is NOT having to have an alarm, or have to work to a clock - it's what they DO with their time that counts... - They eat Breakfast with their Family - of course this is a nice touch, but it doesn't define successful people - it's likely that more unsuccessful people eat breakfast with their families...
I see hugely successful people who don't have breakfast at all - shocking I know - but they are travelling, flying, meeting or recovering from the party the night before so breakfast is lunch anyway... - Work Hard - really, who'd have thought. If you need reminding that success is a consequence of hard work then you really shouldn't be attempting anything of note....
Hard work is required but smart work is the answer - successful people don't have to work hard; they get others who believe in fake lists and career paths to do it for them... - They Rarely Complain - yes they do. In fact successful people by definition are the most demanding. They do complain - sometimes to themselves when the hold themselves accountable to high standards, but they will also complain to others if they are not up to scratch...
Successful people aren't happy, they are unhappy with things. They always want more, bigger, better - complacency and tolerating are to keys to mediocrity... - Good at Communication - not true. Success isn't about quality of communication it's about added value to others. Some of the most successful people don't have to communicate at all - they have people to do it for them...
The main word they know is NO - try and get an email from a successful person - they communicate less not more and when they do it may not be pretty - creativity and innovation are there languages, the challenge is that no one else understands them... - They Read a Lot - no they don't. They may look for knowledge and learning opportunities everywhere they go but reading itself is not the key - knowledge and its profitable application, however, is...
Knowledge comes from life and work - experiential learning is the key - yes to Ted, Books and Workshops. It is the openness to ideas that is the key not simply the reading of a book - unless it's mine of course which is a work of genius...You can Buy the only Business Development book you'll ever need right HERE... - Begin with the End in Mind - wrong again. Setting a Goal or a Budget can be the single biggest limiting factor on peoples success; the Law of Precession works here - success and outcomes are a consequence not a target...
Note - I'm 52 and still don't know what I want to be when I grow up... - Have a Balanced Life - rubbish. Most successful people are psychopathic workaholics and their personal lives are bit of a mess...
Of course a balanced life is a worthy objective - but just because yours is a disaster doesn't mean you won't achieve success; sacrifice and heated arguments are more the pattern. - Let Go of their Past - more utter drivel. Whilst they may not let their past dictate their future, they also just get on with it...
We all have a past - and I wouldn't necessarily want to repeat mine 100% - but I know that the scars and lessons enabled me to do what I do now, I cherish my past and am grateful for every experience; even if it didn't feel that way at the time...
The assumption here is that your background will hold you back - and it only does if you let it...
Don't let go of it - frame it and carry it with you - it defines you and will be your fuel for success...
The main thing that "successful" people do is not read lists about what successful people do...
Plus successful people don't write lists - they don't know what makes them successful they just "are"...
How do people become successful - simple - they figure out a way to add value to peoples lives and businesses...The more value they can give the more money and success they get in return - it's s simple law of Reciprocation. So stop it with your Top 10 Lists, your incantations and Unicorn Hunting and start working on how you can add the most value to someone...
I hope this reassures people that you really don't have to worry about conforming with some mythical list - which is made up on the spot by most authors anyway - you just have to figure out how to add value and then work at it until you get results..
Have a great weekend - and remember - 74.3% of successful people go swimming in the Pacific on Sunday mornings...
So I'm off to the Pub...