Still in my 20's but I see myself as a very observant person, especially when it comes to learning from the experience of others. I mean why fail when someone has already done that for you. Upon reviewing so many principles that attempt to guide us on what to do to succeed, I have come to this conclusion that, every principle works and every principle doesn't.
What do I mean by this contradictory phrase?
I remember once listening to an interview on YouTube by one of the world's richest people Warren Buffett. He was asked what he thinks is responsible for his success. One of the things he said was "I was born in America". Now that got me thinking a lot. If he was born in a different country, would he have been that successful? Well probably yes he would have been successful if he had the same mindset but certainly not that successful. His environment, cultural background, opportunities available and the people he knew and related with played a huge role in the outcome of his life.
There are things you will do in one country or city and you could succeed, try that same thing in another and it goes nowhere.
Universal Principles
There are universal principles that work everywhere, like you know you have to be:
- Disciplined
- Be consistent
- Have a vision
- Work harder than anyone in the room
- And you know the rest
But that alone is a little vague and relative.
Okay let me give an example here to make my point, some motivational speakers on YouTube would tell you they sleep like 1am and wake up at 5 a.m., claiming it's the secret to productivity and success. That's like 4 hours of sleep every day.
I heard one say I don't sleep 😂, bro then you shouldn't be alive.
Anyways, I'm not saying they were lying, because yes, some people's systems are designed to do that. But is yours designed that way?
I applied that formula some years back and it made me rather unproductive.
It doesn't work for everyone the same way?
If you're a night owl whose creativity peaks after sunset, forcing yourself into someone else's routine could do more harm than good.
Another example:
Let me use Rich Dad Poor Dad's idea of using debt to get rich. In America the APR can be as low as below 15%. That can be applied in America, but in other countries especially African countries, the APR on loans can go as high as almost 40%. You just can't apply his formula in those countries.
But in those countries, goods are relatively cheaper, so what could work is finding a way to build a Global business that pays you in euro or USD, you could leverage and achieve more. That can't be done in Europe or America.
So Choose What Works for You
The main point here is that success path is not a one way street. The path that works for you is the one you choose. Where you are should influence which advice you take.
I will definitely be doing a part 2 on this and give more examples.