... That I Haven't?
It seems a fair question to me. I mean, why should some people have all the luck, all the money, and that damn attitude that seems to say, 'I deserve it all'?
What do truly, exceptionally, mind-bogglingly successful people have that the rest of the population lacks?
What is it that divides the self-made 'haves' from the unmade 'have nots' (not counting those that inherited or otherwise got lucky)?
In short; what have they got that gets them everything else?
I think that's the wrong question, however we phrase it.
I think what they actually have is something missing.
Something like doubt, fear, uncertainty - or something that creates those unhelpful feelings, anyway.
I've finished Professor Daniel Gilbert's excellent book Stumbling on Happiness, and if you've read it too, you might well know what I'm talking about. You might have come to a similar conclusion already, anyway.
It's that mental process that seems 'unique to humans' - a dangerous phrase, as the Professor points out - which is so unreliable in most of us we really might be better off without it sometimes. It's called imagination.
It's imagination that shows us the worst possible consequences of an action, and it's imagination that makes us fearful for a child's safety when they're out of sight, even when keeping them in sight might put them in greater danger. It's imagination that makes us wonder 'What if I can't do it?'
And that's something that the most ballsy, seat-of-their-pants, outlandishly flamboyant and successful entrepreneurs in the world never seem to allow themselves to consider. Some of them don't seem able to conceive of the idea.
So, next time you're considering a new venture, and wondering 'Should I try this? What if I can't do it?' Stop imagining and just try!
Who actually knows what will happen if you do try? Not you, that's for sure.
And what's the worst that could happen?
No - don't answer that!
Unless you want to stay exactly where you are, that is.
Roy Everitt, Writing For Results
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