We all have been trying to uncover the real secret sauce behind the success of most Tech Giants. Which is fine – it’ll help us succeed if we know what the successful people do… right?
Generally, your timeline with be filled with blogs titles like:
- Here’s what all successful people have in common..
- Here is XYZ’s advice on being successful.
- The real reason behind XYZ’s success – Hint: It’s not what you think.
and the list goes on and on. And it usually contains one of the three ‘types’ of similarities:
- a ‘extra-ordinarily’ ordinary habit: The most easiest way to get away after getting a click on your article is identify the ‘uncommon’ similarities. Usually, it’s that all of them wake up early morning, make their own bed or use a to-do list. Which are all common and general facts/habits that might not make a big difference. Cause – guess who else does all of that? EVERY KID WHO GOES TO SCHOOL. I wonder why kids aren’t becoming billionaires.. they do share the same traits as these guys!
- a mere coincidence: All of them were dropouts, or they used to go to the same ice-cream parlor… OR even more ridiculous coincidences that somehow does not relate to their success by much.
- a ‘thinking pattern’: You know the best part about a thinking pattern? You cannot challenge it’s existence – since it’s too abstract to define. And I also hate the fact that some people believe that ‘faith in oneself’ and ‘persistence’ is a discrete success trait – because it’s a relative term. If unfortunately you’re unsuccessful and yet persistent – you might be called ‘stubborn’ and ‘ignorant’… Which are basically the same traits – looked at from a negative perspective.
Now, since some of the types above might start ringing bells (cause you follow the popular tech blogs too), you’re expecting something very unique, discrete and ‘extraordinary’.
Well, I’ve give you just that. The real trait behind their success is that..
‘None of them knows how to count.’
And I’ll back myself up with genuine data and facts.
- Bill Gates (Microsoft) launched Windows 1, 2, 3, 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP, VISTA, 7, 8, 10.
- Apple followed Microsoft (like always) and launched iPhoneX (called ‘iPhone 10’) immediately after iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.
- And Pete Lau (OnePlus) was far behind in counting, so he said ‘9/2 = 4.5, rounds to 5 – that’ll be late, I should skip OnePlus 4’…
Image: a rare photo of Windows 9 hugging iPhone 9.
Tadaaa. Now you know exactly what’s stopping you from becoming successful. Go back to your startup and make a fortune. Oh wait! one more trait that all of these guys share is hard work and passion, I think you should try that out too (cause you never know)! 🙂
PS: I know why iPhone X was name iPhone X and I know why OnePlus skipped number 4.
The real take-away from this article is: stop looking for traits and vague lists of things that you can do to become successful. There’s a better use of that time, working on your business and taking it off.
No offence to Microsoft, Apple or OnePlus fanboys intended! Good luck with all your current and future endeavors.
