One proven path to success is to follow the examples of successful people. They’ve already “climbed the mountain” so to speak and it makes sense that if you study how they think and what they do and then start thinking like them and doing what they do eventually you’ll be successful too. That’s simple enough.
But what if there are no good examples to follow? Earl Nightingale said if you can’t find any good examples to follow, all you have to do is look at what the majority is doing and do the opposite. Considering the majority of people are not successful, that makes a lot of sense too.
It’s interesting how art imitates life sometimes. I was watching some old Seinfeld episodes on DVD the other day. I’ve seen every episode several times and they still make me laugh. One episode is called “The Opposite.” George Costanza is one of the characters on the show. He’s kind of a loser. He’s probably in his 30’s, unemployed, and lives with his parents…but he is the master of his domain (Seinfeld afficianados will get that).
In this particular episode, George concludes that every decision he’s made in his life has been wrong. He realizes he’s so unsuccessful because his instincts have been guiding him in the wrong direction. So he decides to start doing the opposite and he suddenly becomes wildly successful. He gets a good-looking girlfriend. He gets his dream job with the New York Yankees. And he gets his own apartment.
Is that really so crazy? I don’t think so. It seems to me that most successful people do the opposite. It’s working for me. Most people have jobs and so did I several years ago. I hated working for someone else just like most people do. But most people continue to do it for decades until they retire. I decided to do the opposite so I opted-out of corporate America before I ever heard of Earl Nightingale. Now I’m building my own business and have the freedom to go wherever I want to go and do whatever I want to do every day. It’s quite nice and I’m much happier.
Earl Nightingale also said “The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice…it is conformity.” And that’s one reason so many people are unsuccessful. They conform and act like everyone else without questioning why. I think fear has a lot to do with it. Many people won’t admit it but they conform because they’re afraid. They think about breaking out of the herd but they’re stifled by fear of failure, fear of criticism, etc.
If that sounds like you, try a little experiment starting today. The next time you find yourself in a situation where you don’t want to conform but are held back by some fear, do the opposite. Instead of doing the usual - being a wuss and letting fear win - do the opposite. You might be pleasantly surprised by the results. If you do it often enough, it will become a habit, and before you know it you just might be successful…or more successful than you already are.
And if you need a proven plan, here it is: Six Simple Steps to Certain Success.
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I will definately agree that following the path of sucessful people is a good road to take to sucess. I have followed the lead of very sucessful affiliate marketers and am now sharing in that sucess. No I don’t make Millions or Hudreds of Thousands a month but I do make more than enough to support me and my familiy of 5. I offer over 20 ebooks on my site that cover any topic imagainable with internet and affiliate marketing. You can download these guides for absolutely free @ http://www.teamaffiliate.net/Free%20Ebooks
I appreciate the thought of recognizing fear and being willing to have the courage to do the opposite. As it does take courage.
For myself I remember the defining moment of living that quote about 8 years ago - that’s when I really understood what it meant - that when I choose not to take action (out of fear) I was really conforming to what others deemed “right” and “important” but it wasn’t what was best for me.
This also created a desire for me to stand in my own integrity (one of my core values) and I quit my job not knowing what was next rather, realizing what ever was next was better than giving away my personal power every day to work that didn’t fulfill me or serve a greater good.
Thanks for using George fun way to look at this deep and often painful topic for many.
FYI the quote you noted…“The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice…it is conformity.”…is one of my favorites and it’s actually by Rollo May.
Regards, Michele
[Michele,
Now that you mention it, it was Rollo May. I heard Earl Nightingale say it on "Lead the Field" or it could have been "The Strangest Secret." I've listened to both of them so many times I can recite parts of them. As soon as you mentioned Rollo May it jogged my memory and I heard Earl Nightingale in my head. He mentioned Rollo May's book "A Man's Search for Himself" & another one called "Wake Up & Live" by Dorothy Abrand right around that part of the CD of I'm not mistaken. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and real-world experience.
Robert]
Robert,
You hit the nail on the head on the “fear” thing. Before I came out with my first product, I was worried that people would laugh at it, that it would be a complete flop, and that I would be humiliated.
So guess what happened? I procrastinated, and took 3 times as long as I should have to get that product released.
I finally realized that If a product is going to flop, it’s going to flop. Not being honest about the fear and confronting it only makes matters worse.
[James,
It's a rare person who has not been held back by fear at some point. Those who acknowledge what is happening and confront the fear find out how easy it is to overcome. It seems like the more I fail, the more successful I become.
Robert]
I wholeheartedly agree. One of my favourite sayings is “The more you do of what you’re doing, the more you get of what you’re getting” from Brian Tracy.
If you know where one road leads it’s highly unlikely it will change if you keep doing the same thing. I was doing corporate and not being very happy for years until I decided that it didn’t seem right even though everyone else felt the same, I just knew there had to be more and I was right!
In love, light and abundance x x x
[Lola,
Thanks for dropping by & leaving a comment. That 2nd paragraph sounds so familiar. Looks like we followed a similar path. Good luck.
Robert]
I came onto this site from a link at the today is that day blog. Excellent article. For me, this line sums up what it takes to be successful -
“The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice…it is conformity.”
—————–
My Positivity Blog http://positivityhub.com/
[Seeker,
I agree 100%. I also like this one: "To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." People conform to avoid criticism.
Robert]
This is a brilliant post. Somehow majority of people tend to follow and compare themselves with losers. Anyway, I once heard an opinion that to compare yourself with somebody is to insult yourself. It is necessary to feel the uniqueness of yourself, but I guess it is never a bad idea to seek for an advice.
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