Why success means success for more than you think

One quite instructive story

Robert Frank (Robert H. Frank), a professor at Cornell University and author of a book about the role of luck in businessOnce I told one very indicative, but not absolutely instructive story.

"In the morning in November 2007 in Ithaca, I played tennis with his longtime friend and colleague, psychology professor Tom Gilovich. Later, he tells me that at the beginning of the second set I started to complain of nausea. And then I fell on the court and did not move.

Tom shouted someone to call 911, and he began to make me a massage of the heart, which until then had only seen in movies. And he even managed to make me cough, but after a few minutes, I again lay perfectly still. there was no pulse.

The ambulance came quickly. It was strange, because in Ithaca medical care leaves on the other end of the city and overcomes some eight kilometers. Why did the ambulance arrived so quickly?

It turned out that a little earlier about the tennis court was a car accident and the hospital has already sent back a couple of ambulances. One of them was able to come and to me. Emergency doctors used a defibrillator, but when we arrived at the local hospital, they put me in a helicopter and taken into the largest Pennsylvania Hospital, where he had the necessary assistance.

The doctors said that I experienced a sudden cardiac arrest, in which almost 90% of people do not survive. Most of those who remain alive, have to contend with significant permanent impairment in the body.

Within three days after stopping, I barely spoke the heart. But it was already in order and I was discharged on the fourth day. After another two weeks, I again played tennis with Tom. "

No morals to this story. There conclusion: Robert Frank it was just luck. With this, all agree.

However, when it comes to success stories, mention your luck and luck, it seems, is not accepted.

Many would be uncomfortable to accept the fact that one day they were just lucky. Although personal success very much depends on chance. But, as the writer E. B. White (E. B. White), good luck - it's not something that discussed in the company of successful people.

Price happy chance

Not only that, many people do not admit that they once were lucky. It turns out that most of us refuse to believe in luck at all. Especially when it comes to their own success.

Pew Research Center conducted a survey, the results of which are simply amazing. People who have reached small and earn little, much more willing to talk about those situations in which they were lucky.

And those who are already rich, successful and respected in the community, almost always deny the role of luck in their lives.

They insist that all they have achieved, it was given a great difficulty and hard work. Luck, they say, has nothing to do with it.

What's wrong with that?

When people are struggling he insists that it is "self-made man," and denies the importance of factors such as talent, Love of work and luck, it becomes less generous, and turns away from the society.

Such people rarely support social initiatives, do not participate in the development of useful initiatives.

In general, these people do not want to contribute to the common good.

"I knew it!"

There is cognitive biasWhich is called "the effect of hindsight." This is when you say, "I knew it!" "I was sure that this will happen!"

We tend to think that this or that event could be foreseen (actually not).

Why we do not believe in luck?

The answer is simple: we are by nature.

Our ability to learn is based on a simple principle. We see something hitherto unknown, compare it with the previous experiences, we find commonalities and learn, understand and accept.

Therefore, the probability of the event, we estimate from the position, as far as many of these cases can remember.

Successful career, of course, is the result of several factors: hard work, talent and luck. When we think about success, we go straight - remember the diligent work and innate inclinations and forget about luck.

The problem also in the fact that luck is not obvious. American entrepreneur who has worked all his life and every moment of free time devoted self-development, Say that success came to him thanks to the hard work. And it will be right, of course. But do not think about how lucky he is to be born in the United States, rather than in, say, Zimbabwe.

Now the reader may be offended. After all, everyone wants to be proud of their achievements. And it will be wrong: pride - one of the strongest motivators in the world. The trend overlook the luck factor sometimes makes us particularly hard.

Yet the inability to make good luck as an important component of success attracts us to the dark side. There, where the happy people hardly share their happiness with others.

Two very instructive stories

DESTA David (David DeSteno), a professor at Northeastern University, has provided impressive proof of how a sense of gratitude leads to a willingness to act for the common good. Together with his co-workers, he figured out how to get a group of people feel gratitude. And then I gave these subjects an opportunity to do something good in relation to a stranger.

People who feel gratitude, by 25% more likely to make something good and selfless, than controls.

Another experiment was even more impressive result. Sociologists asked a group of people to keep a diary, in which it was necessary to write things and events that brought a sense of gratitude. The second group to write down what caused the irritation. The third simply documented his every day.

After 10 weeks of the experiment, scientists have discovered a tremendous change in the lives of those who wrote about his gratitude. Participants began to sleep better, have less something hurt, and they generally feel happier. They began to describe themselves as open to new people, to feel compassion for others, and the feeling of loneliness almost did not attend them.

Economists like to talk about the crisis and deficit. But thanks to - a currency that we can spend without fear of going bankrupt.

Talk with successful man. Ask him about the luck and good fortune. Telling his story, he might rethink these events and understand how many good chances accompany him on his way to success.

Such talk is likely to be easy and enjoyable. And on completion of all feel a little bit happy and grateful. Who knows, maybe it's a magical feeling will be passed to those who are close?