The hidden logic of success
THE
HIDDEN LOGIC OF SUCCESS
Mario
D’Couto
We are always baffled at the extra-ordinary feats
achieved by great people; things that are deemed to be a product of special
‘genes’. The truth, however, is that success is about effort which in a sense
is based on that famous phrase, “Practice makes perfect” although I
have heard some people paraphrasing this statement saying, “Practice makes permanent”.
Both statements are valid and there is truth present. However, in as much as
many self – help gurus may keep harping over the fact of not giving up on your
hopes and dreams, this would not be possible if a talented person was not at
the right place and at the right time. Success is a combination of both.
Allow me to illustrate this point by citing a few examples.
As a soccer fan, the skill of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr. and
other great players is fascinating. Sometimes one may think whether were these
guys born with a ball at their feet? As humorous as it may sound, the reason
these people are where they are today is because they mastered their craft. Of
course, to master something you must first like it a or feel ‘drawn’ towards it. As a musician, I can
definitely say that it was my love for the guitar that has made me a decently
good guitar player.
There is a story told that one day a lady approached
Picasso in the marketplace and pulled out a piece of paper asking him to do a
little drawing for her. Picasso happily complied and quickly etched out a piece
of art for her on the paper provided. He smiled as he handed it back to her and
said, “That would be a million dollars”.
“But Mr. Picasso”, the flustered
woman replied, “It only took you 30
seconds to do this little masterpiece” to which he replied, “My good woman, it took me 30 years to do
that masterpiece in 30 seconds”. How true is that saying that goes, “Tiny
drops of water make a mighty ocean”. In the world of economics, it is
called the “Compound Effect”. Yet,
the question still remains, if hardwork is the criteria for success, why is it
then that only a few selected have the cutting edge. If hardwork was a
criterion, there should be more people who are successful. Mind you, when I
speak about success, I am not speaking about it as just being successful in
terms of one’s talents but success in general. It is over here that the setting
comes into place.
We all know Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, Maradona are by far
some of the finest dribblers in soccer besides being good finishers and
playmakers. If you see their lives, it was their setting that also made the
difference besides their talent. It’s like a flash of light being thrown on a
block of gold in a dark room and when you see it, you know there is something
special in the room.
Cristiano Ronaldo, born in 5th February 1985
at Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, showed interest in soccer at an early age. It
all began on the streets of Madeira from where he was encouraged to join the
local club, Andorinha. From there he moved to Nacional and finally, Sporting
Lisbon. The point over here is to notice that there is an upward movement in
his career path. No doubt, he was a skilful player even at a young age but it
was because of that one step that was taken that helped him become the person
that he is today. As the story goes on, in 2003, Sporting had decided to have
an inaugural friendly match against Manchester United to inaugurate their newly
opened stadium. That match was the turning point in Ronaldo’s career where the
players at United begged Sir Alex Fergusson to sign him up. I will not go too much
into details but the point is had Ronaldo taken those small steps in advancing
his career besides mastering his skill with the ball, Ronaldo would not have
been a household name today.
Messi’s story is similar. After playing for Newell’s Old
Boys, he was spotted by one of Barcelona’s scouts who recognized his skills
with the ball and his potential to be a great player someday. Right enough, he
was offered a contract with Barcelona who were even ready to pay for his
treatment since he suffered from a growth hormone deficiency and the rest is
history. Messi, today, is known as the greatest player in world football. Other
personalities include, people like Jimi Hendrix, the guitar legend, who was not
recognized until he moved to England; Bruce Lee, the King of Kung Fu, would not
have left a legacy had he not moved back to Hong Kong. There are so many
examples like these and I can go on. But the point is obvious. Hardwork alone
does not play. You have got to be at the right place and at the right time to make
things work. Even in the history of civilization, the ones that had an upper
hand were the ones that were present near the rivers like the Egyptian
civilization near the river Nile and the Indus Valley civilization near the
river Indus. Yet ‘luck’ or ‘circumstances’ occupies only 20% of the success. A
person without talent but who is hardworking will achieve more than someone who
is talented but lazy.
One of my friends sent me a message recently which
explained the difference between the poor and the rich nations. This is what
the message said,
“The
difference between the poor and rich nations is not the age of the nation.
This
can be demonstrated by countries like India and Egypt. Which are more than 2000
years old and are still poor countries.
The
difference between the poor and rich nation does not also depend on the
available natural resources.
Japan
has limited territory, 80% mountainous, unsuitable for agriculture or farming
but is the third in the world’s economy. The country is like an immense
floating factory, importing raw material from the whole world and exporting
manufactured products.
Another
example is Switzerland, it does not grow cocoa but produces the best chocolates
in the world. In her small territory, she rears animals and cultivates the land
only for 4 months in a year, nevertheless manufactures the best milk products.
A small country which is an image of security has become the strongest world
bank.
Executives
from rich countries who interact with their counterparts from poor countries
show no significant intellectual differences.
The
racial or colour factors also do not evince importance: migrants heavy in
laziness in their country of origin are forcefully productive in rich European
countries.
What
then is the difference?
The
difference is the attitude of the people, moulded for many years by education
and culture.
When
we analyse the conduct of the people from the rich and developed countries, it
is observed that a majority abide by the following principles of life,
1)
Ethics
as basic principles
2)
Integrity
3)
Responsibility
4)
The
respect for laws and regulations
5)
The
respect from majority of citizens by right
6)
The
love for work
7)
The
effort to save and invest
8)
The
will to be productive
9)
Punctuality
In
the poor countries, a small minority follow these basic principles in their
daily life.
We
are not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel
towards us.
We
are poor because we lack attitude. We lack the will to follow and teach these
principles and the working of the rich and developed societies.
We
are in this state because we want to take advantage over everything and
everyone.
We
are in this state because we see something done wrong and say, “Let it be”. We
should have a spirited memory and attitude …… only then will we be able to
change our present state.”
Reading or getting to know the lives of successful people
is just a tip of the iceberg. People like Ludwig van Beethoven, Pablo Picasso,
Eric Clapton, Warren Buffet, Lionel Messi and so many others from different
walks of life are what they are because of the effort they have put in. This is
something most people do not notice. They think that all that happened just
came to them.
