Axiom 97: The Biggest Potential Mistake People Make

Never judge a book by its cover. I know it is a cliche saying but time after time I am always reminded of how true this statement is.

Look beyond the surface. A great person might really not be so great after all. What looks like an awful product might soon be the next million dollar idea. That person that comes across as a bumbling fool might actually one of the most well-read and intellectual people you'll meet. You never know, so don't assume anything.

Many times at work I hired people thinking they would be great only to be disappointed in them. Other times people I wrote off ended up developing into fantastic employees. All through the process if I had negative assumptions I kept them to myself. I never wanted to burn any bridges.

The lesson here is simple: Leave your mind and your options open. You will be surprised. Things are not how they always appear.

Axiom 96: The Path of Success

"First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination." -Napoleon Hill

"Change is the end result of all true learning." -Leo Buscaglia

"One repays a teacher badly if one remains only a pupil." -Friedrich Nietzsche

To imply a person is successful implies they have conquered one subject or another. A path that involves just three phases: Observation, Education, and Mastery.

Observation is the first phase. It is when a person is on the outside looking inward. It is a state of knowing what is only on the surface. For example, It could be someone that has no musical training in awe of a guitar player at a concert. Everyone must make a decision (conscious or unconscious) if they wish to go beyond this first phase into the next phase.

The next phase is a phase of education. It is where a person goes deeper than what is on the surface and starts actively learning. The romanticism from the observation phase starts to fade and the hardships of practice appear. To continue from our previous example, it is where a person was so inspired by a concert they went to that they decide to buy a guitar and start taking guitar lessons. This is the phase in which most people end their quest.

For the few that continue on their journey the final phase is mastery. It is where someone takes control of a craft and remolds it in their own likeness. It is a complete cycle and return of that original romanticism from phase one. In our example it is where someone practices and learns the skills of playing guitar to the level that they use that skill to changes the lives of others. Whether it be playing a concert, writing music, forming a record label, starting a guitar manufacturing company, etc.

The subject is irrelevant, but the three phases on the path to success are always the same.  

Axiom 95: Methods & Results

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him." -David Brinkley

"If you look really closely, most overnight successes took a long time." 

-Steve Jobs

When you're seeking success it's normal to examine the success of other people. We often use the success of others as a measuring stick or a blueprint for our own path in life. However, it's important to differentiate the difference between methods and results.

For example, you might see two incredibly wealthy people. You might assume their wealth is a result of some successful methods they used in life. However, one might have been born into wealth and the other born into poverty. In this situation you have the same results but two very different methods to get there.

In another example you might see two very poor people. You might assume from their lack of wealth that their methods in life are useless. However, maybe one of them has sacrificed wealth in the near term because they are working on something that could pay off big in the long term. Again, the results don't always reflect the methods in real time.

You must look at results and the methods they used to get those results for a clear picture. Only then can you apply what you learn to your own journey in life.