How To Keep Winning - Learning From Successful People
“The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever seen before.” – Albert Einstein
From this article you will learn the Unicorn Method. This is the same method leveraged by the likes of Joe Rogan and Elon Musk to guarantee success.
The Hunger Games
There are two types of successful people in the world. The first class is those on top of the hill due to their unmatched skill in a respected field. Think of Michael Jordan during his time playing for the Chicago Bulls. Albert Einstein’s intellectual mastery in physics, or Ronnie Coleman’s dominance of the Mr. Olympia stage. These are the people of whom we often think when we hear the word success.
We aspire to be like them, but despite all the self-help books and Law of Attraction brainwashing, we will likely never accomplish what they did. This first class operates in what game theorists and mathematicians call a ‘zero-sum game’.
A zero-sum game is one in which there are winners and losers and limited resources. Poker is an example of a zero-sum game. For you to win $1,000,000, some poor players at the table will have to lose a total of $1,000,000. At no point will the money on the table magically multiply to $1,000,000,000. Not even in Russia.
When we compete to become world class in an established field, we must be better than most of the population to attain massive success. You might be an incredibly skilled basketball player; you might even be better than 99% of the population (billions of people). Despite your skill at getting buckets, if you are not in the 0.001% you won’t make it into the NBA. If you are not pro, then good luck making even $10 from your basketball.
Star players like Lebron James who are in the top 0.001% will make millions whilst you struggle to pay the rent. The people at the top of these fields make a killing whilst those who don’t make the cut get next to nothing. If you are a rapper, good luck competing against Drake, Lil Wayne or even Tekashi 6ix9ine. These rappers might not even be better than you, but due to the nature of the game the winners take all.
This is why many music artists who had hit records are now nowhere to be seen. The numbers are ridiculously stacked against you when you try to become the best in a conventional field. Luckily for you, there is a better way that’s infinitely easier.
The Unicorn
I like to call the second class of successful people ‘unicorns’. They too can make a ridiculous amount of wealth but operate very differently. Joe Rogan just signed a Spotify deal worth over $100 million dollars for the rights to his podcast. Elon Musk’s net worth as of 2020 is over 42 billion dollars. This is bringing him closer and closer to becoming the real-life Iron Man (all that’s left for him is a gym membership). Both these men are incredibly successful because they are unicorns.
A unicorn is someone who combines a set of skills in a new and unique way. They bring value into the world by showing us something new which we didn’t know we needed. Joe Rogan’s life experiences and personality all combine to create a unique skillset. The net sum of this is his brand which millions love and enjoy.
Unlike our friend who is trying to compete against millions of people to get into the NBA, Joe Rogan is competing in his own lane. People can try to copy his style, delivery and content but they still won’t be able to replicate what he brings to the table. When news broke out that Spotify purchased Joe’s podcast, their stock jumped up by $4 billion. This is what happens when you are a unicorn. Unicorns can’t be replaced.
Elon Musk is another unicorn. He is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and co-founded dozens of businesses including PayPal, SolarCity, Space X and Tesla. Just like Joe Rogan he possesses a set of interesting skills which have allowed him to compete in his own lane.
He studied economics and physics at the University of Pennsylvania, and even started his PhD in physics at Stanford. He dropped out to pursue his entrepreneurship ventures in Silicon Valley. His science background has put him in a unique position where he can talk the talk with engineers whilst managing the corporate affairs of his companies.
The common trait of unicorns is they juggle two or three skills which complement each other. This allows them to see opportunities others cannot. Unicorns are the men and women who choose to walk alone.
Becoming World Class
We now know that becoming a specialist in a well-established field is generally a bad idea. In business it’s called jumping into a red ocean. We are smart and want to jump into a blue ocean – ideally of our own creation.
The first rule of Unicorn Club is developing self-awareness. Look at yourself and ask your friends and family where your skills lie. Allow them to be brutally honest with you as this feedback is priceless. Perhaps you are good at plumbing and have effortlessly made people laugh since the first grade. Brainstorm how you can mix two or more of your skills in a unique way to create something new. Also consider which skills you will need to develop to become world class.
If you are a plumber you could start a podcast for plumbers. Your humour will give you an advantage over the other 10 or so plumbing podcasts. You will likely need to learn a range of skills such as marketing and content research to make it happen. After some time, you might become the Joe Rogan of the plumbing world – gaining more influence and wealth than the average plumber who specializes in just plumbing.
Perhaps you are good at programming and can confidently talk on camera. Then starting a YouTube channel which caters towards aspiring programmers might be a good idea. Just look at Tech Lead. He is making over $1,000,000 a year due to his strategic move of leveraging his skillset.
Let’s say you are a personal trainer. Perhaps understanding basic psychology and Stoic philosophy will allow you to connect with your clients on a level which other personal trainers can’t. Mixing two powerful concepts like Stoicism and fitness could allow you to become a unicorn. The key is to find emerging trends which are taking the world by storm. Jump into them with your unique skills.
If you want massive success you can’t follow the herd and let society tell you what you can and can’t do. The truth is that society likes to categorize us and put us into nice neat boxes: fisherman, engineer, teacher, plumber. But we are more complex than that and can create profound value.
Don’t waste your time competing against others if you want to claim a high position in the dominance hierarchy.
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.