Al Ries, the global master of strategic positioning and the first author of ‘Positioning’, has 26 in-depth thoughts on a successful life, which will help you clear up the fog of life and save you ten years of detours:
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It doesn’t matter whether you are smart, resourceful, driven, or personable. Don’t just look at yourself, look outside, find a good horse and your life will be exciting.
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To achieve great success in life, you must find a good horse that you can ride.
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Some people never grow up. They strive for external success and always want to use this to prove their intelligence and ability. It is a common mentality among humans to use external success to appease their inner insecurities.
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People have to do it themselves when they should be relying on outside help. But you can’t achieve success by yourself. It’s other people who make you successful. Therefore, you must focus on others, not yourself.
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Success is not mutually exclusive. You don’t have to pursue one goal after another. Money, power, status, recognition, happiness and friendship often come together.
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Keep things in perspective. In fact, if you can see success as what others do for you, rather than what you do for yourself, you will be less likely to fall into the insecurity of chasing success.
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When we estimate odds, we are not estimating returns. We are estimating the probability of becoming a big winner, that is, the probability of success under the conditions you decide.
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When you set goals for yourself, you also put on ‘blinders’ for yourself, and you ignore various opportunities outside of the ‘main goal.’ Once you are trapped by the goals you set, you will not be able to see the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and will miss it. You will suffer from ’tunnel vision syndrome.’
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Let’s stay open to success and don’t lock ourselves into just one goal. For most people, the future may be more exciting, colorful, and satisfying than they imagine.
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There is no big correlation between intelligence and success. There is a reason: the smarter people are, the more they rely on themselves. Less smart people know they are not smart enough, so they are more likely to seek out others to help them climb the ladder.
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If your focus is sharp and your positioning is accurate, you don’t need to win every time to become a legend of your time. In some cases, one victory is enough.
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Success brings confidence, but confidence does not bring success unless you particularly like to deceive yourself.
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Maybe you don’t have to choose. Maybe opportunities will appear naturally when you respond to the environment you are in. There is no need to search the world for the best career in the best company in the best place. Perfection in infinite time is worthless.
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Success is all around you, don’t waste time looking for the most suitable place or environment, you won’t find it. Even if you find it, you may not recognize it.
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Success in life starts with acceptance, accepting those things that cannot or are difficult to change. Then, start changing the one thing that is completely within your control: yourself.
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The most successful products to date have not brought enough profit to the inventor, but they have made the recognizer a fortune.
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To reach the top of your career, you don’t have to be a jack-of-all-trades. You can be an expert, discovering and leveraging the strengths of others.
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Many inventions sound like coincidences. They largely depend on whether you can learn something from what is happening around you.
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Set your sights wider and get rid of the various factors that limit yourself. Use your talents by observing what’s going on around you, rather than working behind closed doors.
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‘Look at the picture and guess the word’ illustrates a principle: success is something you discover, not something that pops out of your head. So, always keep your eyes open and forget about yourself.
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You are never too old if you look at life with an open mind. As you get older, your mind tends to be filled with all kinds of facts. Soon you’ll know everything, which puts you in the unlucky position of not being able to recognize a new idea, no matter how great it is.
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Don’t be too quick to say “no” and don’t let past good experiences obscure your vision and turn a blind eye to new opportunities.
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When you run away from reality, you may also be blocking opportunities behind you. Regardless of whether the reality is good or bad, face it positively and ask yourself: This terrible thing has happened to me, what can I do to turn it into a positive in my life and the life of others? What about strength?
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A lone ranger can achieve many things, but they often do not climb very high on the ladder of success.
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The longer you’ve known someone, and the longer you’ve been friends, the less likely you are to remain objective.
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No matter how smart and resourceful you are, you cannot create success, you can only look for it. And the fact that you’ve found success before doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll find it again, especially if you stop looking outside.
These reflections can help us recognize the relationship between ourselves and the outside world, find our own positioning and direction, and seize opportunities and challenges. Al Reese uses his unique perspective and insight to provide us with a guide to life and a treasure trove of wisdom.
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