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The Surprisingly Narrow Path to Success
The possibilities are vast
There are many targets to aim at. You're never starting from scratch. Wherever you are, there are many possibilities within reach. All you require is to recognize the path ahead and stick to it.
Getting a book deal is narrow. But there's self-publishing, blogs, newsletters, and writing for magazines.
The path may be narrow, but there are more destinations than you can imagine.
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Paul Graham
"One thing I've learned as an adult that I didn't realize as a kid is how precisely you have to aim at a goal to hit it. If you choose to optimize something even slightly off to the side, you'll sometimes achieve almost nothing toward your intended goal."
The narrow path to success
Many of us don't want to face the narrow path to success. Instead, we prefer to hear the stories of rare misfits who managed to beat the odds.
To beat the odds, you have to understand the game you're playing. You have to know why success is so narrow.
Reasons why success is narrow
- Elite achievement is very hard. To be in the top 1%, you need effort, talent and strategy.
- Specific results come from specific efforts. The smaller the target, the more carefully you need to aim.
- Signaling filters create conformity. Knowing the requirements, candidates rush to meet those criteria, which creates even narrower signals.
Learning the path early
To learn the path early, ask people who've walked it before. Notice what matters to people in charge. The way forward is not creative. If you have an idea to pitch, write it into a business plan.
Creative work can rarely be measured by a universal yardstick. Thus gatekeepers rely more on signals. Artists, academics, and authors may find that their paths forward are more constrained.
Losing your way
When you feel you've lost your way:
- If you've walked far in the wrong direction, you don't have to continue in it. Ask yourself if you're willing to get back on track.
- You may just need a course correction. If you already wrote a book, back up a step, find an agent and write a proposal instead.
- Other times it may be better to pick a new destination entirely. Start today.
The possibilities are vast
There are many targets to aim at. You're never starting from scratch. Wherever you are, there are many possibilities within reach. All you require is to recognize the path ahead and stick to it.
Getting a book deal is narrow. But there's self-publishing, blogs, newsletters, and writing for magazines.
The path may be narrow, but there are more destinations than you can imagine.
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People With High Hopes
People with high hope have a good number of difficult, challenging goals, and a good scorecard of achievement.
They have lower rates of anxiety and depression and greater happiness. They cope well with problems that consume the rest of the world.
Hope = Goals + Agency + Pathways
Instead of wishful thinking, we need to know what we want (specific goals), and have the drive and passion to go towards it (agency) and should be able to generate methods and devices to achieve what we want (pathways).
When we do a sum total of these three, we get hope: Hope= Goals + Agency + Pathways
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Telling your boss you’re looking for another position
- It used to be that when you left a job, you were seen as a traitor. Now companies make efforts to ensure people leave on good terms. They have programs that keep the door open in case employees want to return.
- Not only is there less risk in letting your manager know you're looking, but there may also be upsides. Your boss may want to figure out how to keep you.
- If staying with the company isn't realistic, you may find ways to continue to work with the company. But the conversation may be uncomfortable and be far worse if you suspect your manager won't be understanding.
Staying at a job for at least a year or two
- This conventional wisdom is not always realistic. You may need to relocate because of your spouse's job, for example.
- Staying for only a short term no longer hurt a resume. 32% of employers expect job-jumping. Millennials are especially prone to brief stays at jobs. 70% quit their jobs within two years.
- Gaps in job history are no longer seen as problematic either, but you have to show that your time off wasn't a waste of time.
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More than one way to reach your destination
Willpower is known to be a limited resource.
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Changing your default thinking
You have conscious control of about 10% of your brain. Most of your judgments, prioritizations, decisions, and actions are happening in your subconscious. Many of these processes are running on default programs to maintain the current position.
One reason change is hard is that you're often working against these defaults. You can change the defaults by giving your brain a concrete goal.
Set your autopilot
A well worked out goal sets the compass in your subconscious. It's not going to change your bad habits instantly but will serve as a guide when you make a choice.
When your brain is set on a course, it helps those default programs work for you instead of against you.
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