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1-Page Summary of How Successful People Think
Overview
Successful people have one thing in common: they aren’t afraid to think outside the box and go their own way. It’s a lonely road because we’re social creatures who like fitting in with the crowd, but you won’t win any friends if you go against what everyone else thinks or says.
If everyone kept their ideas to themselves, the world would be a much different place. Copernicus presented his idea that the earth wasn’t at the center of the universe and was ridiculed for it. He was right though, and we’re forever in his debt for sticking by his guns and being so persistent. Everyone has great ideas; you just need techniques to help you think creatively and practice to improve your skills.
In this article, you’ll discover how to be more empathetic and understand other people’s point of view; what Alfred Nobel did after reading his own obituary; and how Paul McCartney and John Lennon collaborated.
Big Idea #1: Big picture thinkers are constantly learning and know how to empathize with others.
Jack Welch, the CEO of General Electric, believes that relationships with clients are more important than individual sales. He says this because he knows that in the long run, it’s sometimes necessary to put aside certain details and focus on improving relationships instead.
However, how can we start thinking big picture? By always looking for ways to learn. We should keep ourselves busy by going places and meeting new people.
The author has a handy technique that puts him in the right mindset to look for learning opportunities. He asks himself what learning opportunities are likely to present themselves.
When he’s trying to learn something, he writes down the activities that will help him do so. He mentally prepares himself to be receptive and asks lots of questions at dinner with people who can teach him new things.
You should also try to learn something new every day. This helps you think more broadly and gives you a sense of how other people see the world. It makes you more empathetic, so it’s important for your personal growth as well.
And that will help you build better relationships: whether it’s with your clients, husband or wife, children or friends. Understanding what they want and need will help you connect with them.
By seeing the big picture, you can put yourself in others’ shoes and understand their perspective.
Big Idea #2: Set and achieve clear targets by thinking realistically and making sure you do your homework.
What is reality? It’s the difference between your dreams and how things actually are.
If you want to be successful in the real world, you have to stop thinking about your dreams and start focusing on reality.
That means setting goals and creating a plan to achieve them.
A businessman who is not good at thinking realistically will be a bad leader. He may have the right attitude, but he doesn’t have a strategy to back it up. That’s because without knowing what the real situation is, you can’t formulate a plan to get from that point to where you want your company or organization to be.
Realistic thinking is also important. It helps you simplify things and cut out the unnecessary details.
If you’re more of an optimist than a realist, then you should start by doing your homework. That means getting to know the facts.
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If you’re a business leader, ask yourself what you would do if your revenue dried up, a customer didn’t pay or the bottom fell out of the market that you’re in.
It is important to get a good understanding of these scenarios. You can’t make an informed decision if you don’t know all the facts. This requires that you spend time researching and getting your own information instead of relying on what other people say or think about it.
