A Shortcut To Success

One of the greatest shortcuts that anyone can take to achieving success is to follow the examples of successful people.nnmodelling success, modelling, emulating, self improvement, personal development, self growth

One of the greatest shortcuts that anyone can take to achieving success is to follow the examples of successful people. One thing that you can safely count on is that whatever goals and ambitions you may have, there will be someone who has been successful in doing the same or similar. Not only will there be someone who already successfully done something similar, but more than likely, someone will have written about it.

Libraries and bookshops are full of books on virtually any subject you want to learn about, not to mention the internet, where you can access pretty well unlimited information from the comfort of your home.
Therefore, it's highly likely that you will be able to find information that can help you to achieve your goals, whether your goal is to bake the perfect apple pie or study to be an astronaut.

There are many different ways that success can be modelled.

Say, for example, you work for a big organisation with quite a rigid structure and you want to climb the corporate ladder. It may well help to try dressing better, more like the people a step or two higher than you, and model what they did to be promoted. If possible, befriend them and study their behaviour and actions. Look at your behaviour and honestly ask yourself if it's holding you back. Adopting some of the traits of people that have been promoted may well help to get you noticed.

A more extreme example of modelling success was seen in Japan after World War II. Japan was as ruined, in every sense of the word, as any country had ever been. Yet within a couple of decades, it was amongst the most powerful economic forces on earth. How did that happen?

It was partly due to the support of America and other nations in helping to rebuild the devastated infrastructure. But the Japanese also were committed to rebuilding and worked very, very hard. They also worked smart.

One of the main reasons for their huge success was that they looked at existing products from other countries, copied the best bits, improved on them, (including manufacturing techniques) and sold better products back to rest of the world at cheaper prices.

Japan may not be as powerful economically now as they once were, but they are still one of the most powerful countries in the world. What's more, their methods have been modelled by other countries, particularly by other Asian countries that have also become much more prosperous in their wake.

The entertainment world is full of examples of artists modelling themselves on other successful entertainers, some more blatantly than others. Even great and seemingly original artists like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan had influences and people they copied and learnt from.

Modelling success works on all scales. If you want to start a small business, it really doesn't make sense to try to come up with completely new systems or ways of operating. There will certainly be business models and working practices already in place at other organisation that you can follow.

On a more personal level, if you are trying to develop certain character traits or skills, one of the very best ways to do this is to spend time with someone who already has those traits or skills and observe, or even ask them for advice.

If you want to learn why some people are highly successful, and get a better understanding of the thought processes of successful people, why not try approaching someone you respect and admire? Many successful people are only too happy to help other people and offer advice.

If you can't think of anyone you could approach directly, you can still gain an enormous amount of valuable information by research and observation, and reading books by and about successful people.

Modelling success doesn't just mean direct copying and bringing nothing to the party yourself. You should be emulating rather than copying – taking the best bits and adapting and improving, adding your ideas, your creativity and information learned through your research, to suit you particular circumstances and goals.

The Japanese were emulating success when they sold their improved products back to the rest of the world. Ray Kroc was emulating success when, years after buying the rights to reproduce the McDonalds brothers' business model, he opened up next door to them and forced them out of business.

You can achieve whatever you want to achieve in your life if you are committed and determined, and prepared to work hard and learn what you need to know. You will make mistakes, but you don't have to learn everything through trial and error. You can learn from the experts and the people who've already been there, made all the mistakes and learnt the hard way. Utilising and adapting this information into your plans can dramatically accelerate your progress.