The commandments of the titans: WHAT the most successful people do every day

The author of the blog Barking Up The Wrong Tree Eric Barker tells what methods and techniques allow us to achieve truly great things.

 

What are the habits, methods and the mode of the day used by the most successful people to achieve the greatest success? One guy wanted to understand it — and talked with two hundred successful people to learn from them.

I admit, I like to interview the experts — but if someone wants to do it for me all the hard work, well, I'm not going to say "no". So I thought I need to call this guy Tim Ferris, author of the bestseller "the 4-hour work week." Now he releases a new book — "Tools of the titans: methods, modes and habits of billionaires, icons and world class performers".

So, where to start?





How about the fact that almost all of these people do in the first place every day?

1. Morning ritual of awareness

 

You Wake up one morning and the world is screaming to you. Letters come with requests about everything, screaming children, and there is work not completed yesterday, which still didn't come to your mind. And you still in your pajamas.

And you start the day with reactive behavior. You don't follow the plan and do not go to the purpose you desperately react to whatever the world throws at you. But great things do not get.

The vast majority of people that I have spoken to Tim, there is a morning ritual that allows you to keep your head straight and not lose sight of the priorities.

Here is what Tim says:

"More than 80% of the more than 200 people I interviewed, have a certain practice of mindfulness, usually held in the morning, which helps them to stay more focused on your thoughts and less emotional during the day."

Don't worry, it's not as difficult to add to your schedule. First, it should definitely not be hard.

"The main thing is to make it as simple and easy as possible, for the first five times. This is the most important, the most important item, because it should be part of your morning routine before you begin to demand more from yourself. This can be just one conscious breath in the morning," says Tim.

It is not so difficult.

 

But you may face a bigger problem. You may feel that you lack something. Maybe you have flaws. Weakness. Something that pulls you back, what are you trying to overcome and cannot. Guess what? The second thing Tim heard.

2. Turn your weaknesses into strengths

 

Almost all interlocutors Tim noted that they had some flaws but instead of fixing them, they turned these disadvantages into a superpower that pushes them forward.

"The theme of turning disadvantages into advantages was repeated many times, says Tim. — "How I could present your weakness as a strength?" Or "If my weakness had become a strength, as though I was able to achieve this?"

Many people in the book used exactly that wording.

Many of them understand that their shortcomings were not from a scientific point of view and objectively a bad thing. It was a quality which was not to their liking, or simply unpopular personality traits.

Sounds corny? This is not so. Dan Carlin is one of the most popular and respected podcasts: Hardcore History. (I myself am a huge fan.) But when Dan started to work on the radio, he only insisted that his way of speaking is terrible.

Dan was not to fix anything. He deliberately drew attention to this feature and made it its signature style.

"At an early stage radiosurgery criticized and tried to correct the style of speech, says Tim. — He spoke very loudly, and then suddenly said very very quietly. It's crazy people at the radio station, but he made it a feature of his style. One person, representing him, said: "we are joined By Dan Carlin, guys. You know, he shouts, and then whispers. Here, he is." It became his signature style."

Dan didn't become one of the best in their field, doing what everyone else is doing. He said to Tim:

"Patent his mistakes."





Some people may say that "awareness" and "turning weaknesses into strengths" — clichés, stereotypes. And you know what? They are right. But this is not a problem.

3. Don't ignore the stereotypes

 

Shay Carl, one of the founders of Maker Studios, which was sold to disney for nearly a billion dollars.

When he wanted to lose weight and get in shape, he did not read the latest book on diet and was looking for advanced secrets. He realized that all he needs to do is stop ignoring the stereotypes and start to listen to them.

"Eat less and more exercise" — sounds so trite as possible. And it works.

"Sometimes the answers are hidden right under our noses, says Tim. — We've all heard phrases like "crying doesn't help" or "eat less, do more exercise", but we never wonder why they became clichés. Whenever you hear a cliche note. Don't let it fly in one ear and fly out of another just because this phrase is repeated so often. Many of us are not able to achieve their goals not because we lack opportunities, but because we complicate things too".

So it may be kind, always wearing rose-colored glasses, and all's well that ends well.

 

But what are the fundamental skills we must develop to achieve success in any field?

4. Be able to think, to be patient and wait

 

Many people wonder what your favorite books have a super-successful people. But Tim asked them not about that, and about what books they often give. And got not personalized based on individual taste responses, and more powerful recommendations.

Some books were mentioned many times, such as "Sapiens. A short history of humanity," "poor Charlie's Almanac", "Man's search for meaning".

But one of these books stands alone, because it contains lessons we all should learn. This Is "Siddhartha" By Herman Hesse.

Key lessons of this novel are as follows: to achieve anything, we must be able to think well and be patient.

Siddhartha says that it is important to be able to think, to be able to tolerate and be able to wait, explains Tim. — If you had to outline the basic skills and unique strengths of the people I interviewed, almost all of them can be placed into one of these three categories. Thinking gives you the ability critically to solve problems and ask questions better than most people, and, consequently, to less obvious answers. Patience develops comfort through the trouble you can create yourself, to confront them with greater and greater intensity.

"Wait" is selective patience. I say "selective" because you are looking to achieve high standards and results while understanding that victory in the larger game will take time".

To think, to be patient and wait — all this is of great importance. And it's hard. What if easy? It is really easy.

 

And Yes, it is easier than sleeping.

5. Assign tasks to sleep

 

Reid Hoffman — founder of LinkedIn billionaire and one of the founders of PayPal. He believes that the only way to solve a difficult problem is to stretch the brain.

He writes the problem before you go to sleep, allowing my subconscious to work on it, and then writes something else the next morning. Often this simple process helps him to get the answer he needs.

"It represents a question or a project or a situation in the form of a diary before you go to bed, and then allows your subconscious mind to digest and think about it. A diary is the first thing in the morning to help you find the non-obvious solution," says Tim.

Sounds too simple? I had the same thought. But the other "Titan" — Josh Waitzkin (chess miracle, which tells the movie "finding Bobby Fischer") said the same thing. He writes his problem after dinner and ponders her next morning.

Oh, and one more successful guy — also a supporter of this approach. His name is Thomas Edison. He once said, "Never go to sleep without a request to your subconscious".





Until now, everything we said was about "you-you-you". And many of those who give advice, are self-employed. They will tell a person whose success is very dependent on the boss? How about to become an expert in your field and get the help of influential mentors — and all at the same time?

6. Clear the way

 

Ryan holiday is the author of bestseller The Daily Stoic — learning lessons from ancient history that remains very effective today. For thousands of years, the concept of "apprenticeship" was a cornerstone on the way to becoming one of the greats.

But these days we tend to think only about what is included and what is not in our job description. "This is my job. I do these things. That's all."

But for many years people sought the location of his superiors, understand the essence and not working "the points". They "cleared the way" for their mentors. They anticipated problems, did what not were required to do, and made it easier for those who were more experienced.

We're not talking about "enforcing job descriptions," and that allows you to build a relationship of trust, loyalty and turns the boss into a mentor. In "Tools of the titans" Ryan says this:

"Remember how humiliating it seems to "serve" someone. In fact, the model of discipleship was responsible for the greatest works in history; everything from Michelangelo to Leonardo da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin were forced to use such a system. And it's not about getting someone to suck up. It is not about how to help someone look better. Talking about how to provide support so that others can Express themselves. Paves the way for the people above you, and you will eventually create a path for yourself".

It works today? Yes. Tim spoke with billionaire Chris Seckau. When Sacha started at Google, he volunteered to participate in high-level meetings and take notes for senior leaders.

"Clear a path for the person you are working with, go beyond the call of duty and take on additional responsibilities, even if you don't pay anything for them, says Tim. Is exactly what did Chris Sacca working at Google. He sat in meetings that were not invited and acquainted with the world of business, with the big guns. And it benefits. In this case, he took notes".

 

To help people not necessarily difficult. Now let's talk about people who can become a real problem in some cases. What should be the correct view, so you don't have to tear your hair out?

7. They are not evil. They are exhausted

 

Alain De botton is a highly respected author of "How Proust can change your life." He is known for deep but accessible understanding of human relations. De botton says that we tend to call people is difficult because they are evil. No, they usually are tired or worried or upset.

"Normal people don't have a specific plan to harm you, concludes Tim. — All can be very, very simple. Someone slept, someone in the house was a water main break. Someone had a fight with husband or wife. Don't explain by malice what can be explained by incompetence, employment, hunger or something else. Ne invent the story, just watch what is happening under your nose".

Sometimes it's better to accept people as large children who cry when they are hungry or tired. Here is how De botton explains in the "Tools of the titans":

"When we communicate with children, and the child is cranky and crying, we never say: "This child is up to something against me" or "She's up to something bad."

 

People can be children. But it is important to understand how these people affect you.

8. Remember the theory of 5 chimpanzees

 

Nawal Ravikant — CEO and co-founder of AngelList. He was one of the first investors in a number of startups, which you couldn't hear, Twitter and Uber. But he's not just another tycoon from Silicon valley — this guy is wise. He knows that we are not as independent as we like to think. Surrounding affect us, whether we realize it or not. And if you do nothing on the basis of this truth, you will never be as successful or happy as you want to. Nawal explains in "the Tools of the titans":

"There is a theory, which I call the "theory of the five chimps". In Zoology, you can predict the mood of the conduct of any chimp, if you know five others with whom he communicates often. Choose your five chimps carefully."

The other characters in the book agreed with him, and Tim summed up:

"Emotionally, physically, financially, or something else you are something between five people you spend the most time."

Look at the people around you. This is who you want to be? Because, probably, you will become such. But if you have children or employees, consider the impact you have on them. Not words, but actions. Author mega-best-selling Paulo Coelho: "the World is changed by your example, not your opinion".

 
Well, we talked about many tricks and tips. But what about such serious things as the values and morals? You would hate me, if I would say that the most time — however short — to lay them aside?

9. Know when to use your moral compass

 

Stephen Dabner, co-author of the bestseller "Frikonomika" says that there are times when you want to ignore moral compass.

Just a minute, mind you. And it's not about Machiavellianism. It is only the fact that it is not always necessary to judge before you listened to people. Values and ethics — those are the things that rarely change, and it was good. But if you always follow them and I can not hear the other side — guess what? You can't change your mind. You can't even properly hear what you say.

The accusation, pointing fingers and demonization in the beginning of the conversation or negotiation has never helped anyone to achieve anything. Do people respond to you: "You're right. I'm evil. You have convinced me"? No. No, they do not.

So listen, before you judge, if you want to achieve something, and especially if you need allies.

"When you want to collaborate and solve problems, especially when people disagree on some issue, your moral position is a huge obstacle in the way of progress. When you're just in the phase of generating ideas, not on the stage of verification, you must temporarily put aside your moral compass. Don't lead the conversation, blaming and pointing fingers at the "guilty" side, when you need to look for solutions that may require the help of this hand," writes Tim.





What if you follow all these rules and achieved success? We've all heard stories about people who burn out or become unhappy after big achievements. So what do you need to be happy successful person?
 
10. Make a "jar pride"

 

Research shows that savoring the good times is an incredibly powerful technique that allows you to be happier. The celebration of these hard-won achievements is crucial to future joy. Tim has his own story about this insight — she is in tune with those that said successful people from his book.

Some time ago, the woman with whom Tim had met, said one. He really was successfully achieved many goals, but very little was able to appreciate their success. Barely finish one dragon, he was already eyeing the next fire-breathing targets, instead of enjoying his achievement.

And so, when things weren't going well, he sometimes felt depressed. Then she did for him, "the Bank of pride".

"It's a big glass jar with a shiny inscription "the Bank of pride," says Tim. I had every day to write on a piece of paper something good that happened, and put the paper in the jar. And then when I feel like a loser, I can take this jar and enjoy all the good things that happened. So I no longer wear dark glasses as before. As silly as it sounds, and no matter how disgusted me 20 years to hear what I'm talking about something called "the Bank of pride," thanks to this fantastic tool, I became happier, maybe 10-20%. Many of my fans began to do the same in their families, for their children."

Tim concludes: "If you can't enjoy what you have, then you will never be happy with what you will achieve in the future".

What is most surprising from recognized Tim should know mere mortals such as you and I? That "titans" are also mere mortals.

Here is what Tim says:

"Most surprising was the realization that all these people we see on magazine covers who seem out of reach, have a lot of shortcomings as we all do. To hear these people talk about their heavy periods, moments full of insecurity or situations, when all the economists were telling them that they are doomed to failure and they have no talent... They suffered severe dips, but figured out how to be themselves, and formed habits around one or two main strengths. Those strengths, which they resisted for decades, which they thought was weird and wanted to keep a secret."

 

Also interesting: Jorge Bucay: 20 steps on the way to her

James Altucher: a Recipe for success

 

You too can become titans. Stop denying your inner strangeness. Nurture it. Accept that you are not perfect. Because people in magazines are not perfect either. You don't need to be superhuman to be super-successful. Now go and work hard — and get a brilliant jar to enjoy what you will achieve.published

 



Source: ideanomics.ru/articles/8175