Success Habits For Dummies

Chapter 2

Success Leaves Clues

IN THIS CHAPTER

Finding a mentor

Preparing your recipe for success

People have been searching for success since the dawn of time. Ten thousand years ago, success might have been more rudimentary and basic, like not getting eaten by a saber-toothed tiger meant that you had a successful day. You can observe any era of human history and learn from the small numbers of people who are successful rather than the larger group who are not.

In 1906, Vilfredo Pareto, an economist in Italy, observed that about 20 percent of the population had acquired all the wealth and influence in society. He further surmised that the vast majority of the people, 80 percent, had no influence, power, or wealth. He called the 80 percent with little the “trivial many.” He stated the 20 percent were the vital few. At that moment the 80/20 rule, or the Pareto principle, was born. (I discuss this rule in more detail in Chapter 19.)

Even at that time, you could observe much of what those top 20 percent did, read, attended, and engaged in. A person who desired success back then, as today, needed only observe and learn because success is never created in a vacuum or hidden from view. The truth is, success leaves clues to follow. You don’t need the intellect of Sherlock Holmes to find ...