September 18, 2023 by Dymphna

T-Bomb: The 9 ways to have an edge

Truth Bomb Tuesday: Just so many ways to win

How much of your success is within your control?

About 7/9ths?

That wouldn’t be a bad guess I reckon, and it’s what Shane Parrish who runs the Brain Food business newletter reckons.

He’s identified 9 sources of advantage – 9 things that will give you an edge in life.

This is his list:

• Raw talent/intelligence – Some people are just naturally better and smarter. Some people are stronger or taller or have better hair. Biology isn’t particularly fair.

• Hard work – Some people work harder than others.

• Differentiation – Seeing the world differently. Doing something different. Reading different books. Interpreting the same information differently. Seeing opportunities where others see nothing.

• Process / Discipline – Creating a process and following it. Working out every day is a great example. (So is spending 10 minutes a day on our course materials!)

• Talent Collection – The ability to bring together the best people and get the most out of them. It’s about people skills, networking and people management.

• Patience – Someone with patience has the ability to stick to their tasks, and to bide their time and wait for the right opportunities.

• Ability to eat pain – Are you willing to look like an idiot to get better? How much risk are you willing to take, AND, importantly, can you handle the losses?

• Temperament – Keeping your head when everyone else is losing theirs. Not getting carried away with your emotions.

• Luck

That’s a pretty good list I reckon.

And I’d say that success can be built on quiet a narrow number of these advantages.

I know people who have built incredible careers and amazing fortunes just by being a great talent collector.

They didn’t bring all that much talent of their own, and they weren’t particularly hard-working or disciplined, but they still did amazing things.

But the real point to make is that only two of those factors – natural talent, and luck – are completely out of your control.

You can’t do much to change how much brains you were born with. And you can’t change your luck (unless you’re willing to make a strange bargain with the woman who lives at the base of the mountain, but I wouldn’t recommend that route to everyone.

But the rest – how patient you are, how hard you work, how creative you are with how you see the world – these are all within your control.

And so this speaks to what I know to be true: anyone can be successful because the tools of success are available to everyone.

And if you don’t think you have what it takes to make it, then I think you’re probably just making excuses, because there’s at least seven factors you’re overlooking.

That’s the amazing thing about life. There’s just so many ways to win. 

DB.