Don't Listen to Success
The problem with asking successful people for advice is that
they don't always know why they are successful - but they'll
give you all the reasons anyhow. One night on the television,
I watched an 100-year-old man explain how smoking every day was
the secret to his longevity. It would be great to know why he
lived so long, but I'm pretty sure we won't learn by asking him.
Model Success
Do as they do, not as they say. That's the way to learn from
those who have succeeded at something. A wealthy real estate
investor once told me he didn't believe in setting goals. Then
later in the conversation I realized that he knew just where
he expected to be with his projects in six months. That's goal-setting
- he just called the process something else.
Don't stop listening to what successful people say - but read
between the lines. Look to their words for insight into how they
think about things, how they approach their challenges. A successful
basketball player might only advise you to practice more, but
if he mentions "I saw that going in," after a great
shot, start visualizing your shots going in.
Be a Copy-Cat
We won't always know what's causing a person's success. I
once tried to exchange links with other web sites, but the owners
ignored my emails. Then I found a letter used by a successful
internet marketer to get links. The wording sounded silly to
me, and I wanted to change it, but the first time I tried it,
it worked.
At first, it is best to just copy many of the actions, attitudes
and approaches of someone who is succeeding. As you learn more,
you can drop those parts which aren't contributing, and add elements
of your own. If you model a successful parent, for example, and
life with your children becomes much better, don't worry if you
don't know why. Do what works, then later you can try to make
it work better, or work your "own way."
Understanding is great, but you may never understand why some
things work, right? Don't worry about it. Better to have success
than to explain it. So do what they do, not what they say.
|
