7/22/2019 8 Things the World

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8 Things The Worlds Most Successful People All Have In Common

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Eric Barker

Eric Barkerblogs about the science of human behavior.

Recent Posts

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Ive posted a lot about the strategies of very successful people: artists, scientists, business leaders

Looking back, what patterns do we see?

Busy BusyDaily Rituals: How Artists Work, examines the work habits of over 150 of the greatest writers, artists and scientists.

What did they all have in common? A relentless pace of work.

Via Daily Rituals: How Artists Work

Sooner or later, Pritchett writes, the great men turn out to be all alike. They never stop working. They never lose a minute. It is very depressing.

What didStanford professor Jeffrey Pfefferfind when he looked at high achieverslike LBJandRobert Moses?

60-65 hour work weeks were not uncommon.

Via Managing With Power: Politics and Influence i n Organizations:

In a study of general managers in industry, John Kotter reported that many of them worked 60 to 65 hours per weekwhich translates into at least six 10-hour

days.The ability and willingness to work grueling hours has characterized many powerful figures Energy and strength provide many advantages to those seeking to build power.

When Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi studied geniuses for his bookCreativity, he realized something fascinating about IQ.

No one who changed the world had an IQ under 130 but the difference between 130 and 170 was negligible.

As long as you were past the 130 IQ threshold, it was all about how hard you worked.

(More on the work habits of geniuses here.)

Just Say NoWarren Buffett once said:

The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say no to almost everything.

And thats what gives them the time to accomplish so much.

InCreativity, Csikszentmihalyi makes note of the number of high achievers who declined his request to be in the book.

Why did they say no?

They were too busy with their own projects to help him with his.

Achievement requires focus. And focus means saying no to a lot of distractions.

Know What You AreIn his classic essayManaging Oneself, Pete Druckeris very clear: ignore your weaknesses and keep improving your strengths.

In identifying opportunities for improvement, dont waste time cultivating skill areas where you have l ittle competence. Instead, concentrate onand build on

your strengths.

This means knowing who you are, what you are and what you are good at.

Harvard professor Gautam Mukunda, author of Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter, says this is key for leaders:

More than anything else, Know thyself. Know what your type is. Think about your own personalityFor instance, if you are a classic entrepreneur, you cant

work in an organization.Know that.

(More on knowing your strengthshere.)

Build NetworksNobody at the top of the heap goes it alone. And those at the center of networks benefit the most.

Paul Erdosis the undeniable center of the mathematics world. Ever heard of six degrees of Kevin Bacon? Paul Erdos is the Kevin Bacon of math.

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This is no exaggeration. In fact, its barely a metaphor its justfact.

How did he become the center of the math world?

He was agiver.

Ive posteda lot about networkingand as great networkers likeAdam Rifkinadvise, Paul Erdos gave to others. He made those around him better.

Via The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth:

He knew better than you yourself knew what you were capable ofHe gave the confidence that many of us needed to embark on mathematical research.

(More on networking here.)

Create Good LuckLuck isnt magical theres a science to it.

Richard Wiseman studied lucky people for his book Luck Factor, and broke down what they do right.

Certain personality types are luckier because they behave in a way that maximizes the chance for good opportunities.

By being more outgoing, open to new ideas, following hunches, and being optimistic, lucky people create possibilities.

Does applying these principles to your life actually work? Wiseman created a luck school to test the ideas and it was a success.

Via Luck Factor:

In total, 80 percent of people who attended Luck School said that their luck had increased. On average, these people estimated that their luck had increased by

more than 40 percent.

(More about creating luck here.)

Have GritIntelligence and creativity are great but you cant quit when the going gets tough if you really want to accomplish anythingbig.

Thatsgrit. Perseverance. And itsone of the best predictors of success there is.

Via Dan Pinks excellent bookDrive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us .

The best predictor of success, the researchers found, was the prospective cadets ratings on a noncognitive, nonphysical trait known as gritdefined as

perseverance and passion for long-term goals.

Researchers have found that grit exists apart from IQ and is more predictive of success than IQin a variety of challenging environments:

Defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, grit accounted for an average of 4% of the variance in success outcomes, including educational attainment among 2 samples of

adults (N = 1,545 and N = 690), grade point average among Ivy League undergraduates (N = 138), retention in 2 classes of United States Military Academy, West Point, cadets (N = 1,218

and N = 1,308), and ranking in the National Spelling Bee (N = 175).

Howard Gardner studied some of the greatest geniuses of all time. One quality they all had in common sounds an awful lot like gr it.

Via Creating Minds: An Anatomy of Cr eativity Seen Through the Lives of Fr eud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham, and Ghandi:

when they fail, they do not waste much time lamenting; blaming; or, at the extreme, quitting. Instead, regarding the failure as a learning experience, they try to

build upon its lessons in their future endeavors.Framing is most succinctly captured in aphorism by French economist and visionary Jean Monnet: I regard every defeat as

an opportunity.

Heres Angela Duckworth giving a TED talk on grit:

(More on how to be grittierhere.)

Make Awesome MistakesFailure is essential.Losers like to hear that because it makes them feel better about their past mistakes. Winners use it to go make more mistakes they can learn from.

Always be experimenting.In his excellent bookLittle Bets, Peter Simsexplains the system used by all the greats:

The mindset is what makes a big difference. The willingness to spend 5 to 10% of your time doing experiments will, over the long run, really open up that part of you

that can be more creative and entrepreneurial, and yield, hopefully, some new opportunities that you hadnt thought of beforetrying something.

You mustwrestle with your ideas. Dissect, combine, add, subtract, turn them upside down and shake them. Get ideas colliding.

Via Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity:

Successful creators engage in an ongoing dialogue with their work. They put whats in their head on paper long before its fully formed,and they watch and listen

to what theyve recorded, zigging and zagging until the right idea emerges.

How do you start? Do like the greats andkeep a notebook.

(More on the creative process used by experts here.)

Find MentorsYou cannot go it alone. It can be hard to learn from books. And the internet makes it difficult to separate truth from fiction.

You need someone who has been there to show you the ropes. A Yoda. A Mister Miyagi.

Yes, 10K hours of deliberate practicecan make you an expert but what makes you dedicate 10K hours to something in the first place?

AsAdam Grant of Wharton explains, the answer is great mentors:

Why would somebody invest deliberate practice in something? It turns out that actually most of these world-class performers had a first coach, or a first teacher,

who made the activity fun.

(More on finding the best mentor for youhere.)

Sum UpEight things you can do to be like the best:

1. Stay Busy2. Just Say No3. Know What You Are4. Build Networks5. Create Good Luck6. Have Grit7. Make Awesome Mistakes8. Find Mentors

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