Axiom 70: You're Going to Miss Me When I'm Gone

"To my mind the old masters are not art; their value is in their scarcity." -Thomas Edison

"Appreciate what you have before it is gone" -Unknown

The law of scarcity is essential in success. The less there is of something, the more desirable and valuable it becomes.

Here are just a few examples of the law of scarcity at work:

• The value of gold and other rare metals.
• The value of your time if you were given six months to live.
• Meeting a love interest that acts aloof instead of overbearing.
• Seeing a beloved family member you haven't seen in years versus seeing a family member that comes over everyday.
• An endangered species on the brink of extinction you just saw versus an overpopulated animal that you see daily.
• A great employee that quits your company and leaves a huge hole for you to fill.
• Winning a contest to have lunch with your favorite celebrity.
• Taking a vacation of a lifetime overseas versus visiting the touristy venues in your hometown.

When striving for success you must learn to control the scarcity of yourself, and the products you sell. There are many ways to do this and they all have the same effect: increased value.

Axiom 69: E=mc2

"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself." 
-Albert Einstein

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." -Leonardo da Vinci

Theoretical physicists and successful people have something in common: they know that simplicity equals success. Einstein's famous equation E=mc2 was the end result of solving long complicated equations beforehand. The end result was an elegant and simple solution.

Simplicity is not about taking shortcuts. It's not about doing half-ass work. It is about looking at the bigger picture and saying, "There's got to be a simple solution to this chaotic mess".

To be successful you must first have experience enough to fully understand a complex and chaotic situation. Once you have that knowledge look for a better solution, a simple solution. Often you will see that solutions become more and more complex until the fog clears and a utterly simple solution becomes apparent. 

Once you have found that one simple solution everything will come together and make sense.

Axiom 68: The Halo Effect

"Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." -Confucius

"Beauty is power; a smile is its sword." -John Ray

In earlier Axioms I have explained about the power of appearance. In Axiom 22 I explained how dressing nicer can increase your chances of success. In Axiom 42 I wrote about how people's personalities can change based on how they dress. However, there is still one big piece of the puzzle missing when it comes to the power of appearance.

It is a phenomenon known as the Halo Effect.

The halo effect is the cognitive BS that your mind believes when you look at someone. It means that you will subconsciously infer things like how smart or how nice a person is based simply on their outer appearance. Beautiful people are assumed to be nicer, smarter, and more creative. Ugly people are assumed to be meaner and dumber when placed side by side against a beautiful person.

That means when people meet you for the first time they are going to judge your mental abilities and character tendencies simply based on the way you look on the outside. Because of this it is very important that the way to look, the way you dress, and your hygiene all communicate the message of success you are trying to achieve.

In other words, Be as attractive as possible.