Note: This article is taken from blogger Darius Foroux, in which he talks to us about the importance of stopping imitating the habits of successful people.
The focus is always on the result in these articles and books rather than on the process, but studying, learning, and adopting fruitful habits or methods are worth practicing. Still, I am talking about something else here; I am talking about people who are focused only on the result, which is success.
Everyone pretends that the word "success" has nothing to do with money and status:
When we talk about success, we talk about wealth, as Derek Sivers, author of Anything You Want, said when asked about success: “Notice how we all assume that when you say 'be successful, ' you mean 'be rich'”.
There isn't anything wrong with being rich. People can go after anything they want. But let's be honest, don't pretend to be the only ones who define success and then talk about the habits of the rich.
Last week, I spoke with my mentor about this phenomenon, a conservative who doesn't read anything online because he likes to read newspapers and books more. He has no interest in new technology, and until last year he still had an old mobile phone that could only make calls and send and receive text messages. Anyway, we talked about how most people love to analyze success. He said:
“There is a difference between studying success and building an important business or profession, just as there is a difference between talent and hard work. I know most talented people who have contributed nothing to the world, and I also know most people who have no talent and have done wonderful things in life. knowing how to be successful will not guarantee you success. I think otherwise; people who do not assume they know everything often accomplish more.”
It's incredible what he said, and to be honest with you, I've tried to study the habits of successful people before, but I've never looked at it that way. My mentor tried to make me realize that success doesn't happen through imitating others. Whatever knowledge you have of successful people's habits will not benefit you at all.
Correlation does not mean causation:
This is exactly the phrase my mentor used. Reading articles and books about success is a waste of time because it won't teach you anything useful, and worse, it can cause you to be narrow-minded, and you may pursue some things that lead you in the wrong direction.
For example, waking up early is always part of the habits list, but waking up is not a skill that leads to something. When you try to imitate a rich person who wakes up early, will you become rich by waking up early?
That's why I find it strange that people try to imitate successful people, what's the point? If you know what works, it will never help you.
Entrepreneur Richard Branson is one of the most famous people in the world, and most people believe he is the most successful entrepreneur ever. He has written books and articles, many interviews have been conducted with him, his personality has been analyzed, and he has been studied extensively. We know all something about Richard's habits and mentality.
But if we're trying to mimic it all, why aren't more world-famous entrepreneurs out there? The answer is that it is more complicated. We study successful people to get results, but no one wants to make the required effort.
I don't read articles about success, and you can't promise someone success if they do certain things, but that's not why I don't care about imitating successful people.
You must make an effort:
If you try to imitate others blindly, you kill your character, as the American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "Envy is ignorance, imitation is suicide," so just be yourself. The phrase "imitation is death" sounds better than the phrase "just be yourself," but both have the same meaning. Life doesn't focus solely on success, no matter how you define it. Rather, life focuses on the struggle to discover things, which is something most of us run away from.
One of J. Cole's favorite musicians wrote a song called Love Yourz about this concept. He said, “How beautiful it is to make an effort! What a success!”
In conclusion:
Think about it: What if you reach a specific destination and find out you've gotten to the wrong place?
This is what imitation does. Chart your life course, no matter how difficult, and it is better to love it too because this is the only right course.
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