The 15 Different Ways That Successful People Think

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The world’s most successful people have one thing in common: they think differently from everyone else.

This is how John C. Maxwell introduces his New York Times bestseller, How Successful People Think (he’s also written a ton of leadership books, which have sold around 19 million copies worldwide). So here we have 15 of the best points taken from the book: How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life

Figure out where you need to focus your energy, and then use the 80/20 rule

Devote 80% of your energy to the most important 20% of your activities. Remember that you can’t be everywhere, know everyone, and do everything. And avoid multitasking: it can cost you 40% efficiency.

Thinking is a discipline. If you want to be better at it, you’ve got to work at it

Consider developing a thinking schedule like Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy, who sets aside a half day every two weeks, a whole day every month, and two or three full days every year.

Smart thinkers expose themselves to different ideas and types of people

They’re also selective about spending most of their time with people who challenge them.

It’s one thing to have an idea, another to follow through

“Ideas have a short shelf life. You must act on them before the expiration date.”

Thoughts need time to develop. Don’t just settle on the first thing that comes to mind

Remember the last time you had a brilliant idea at 2 a.m., but it sounded sort of ridiculous when you woke up the next morning? Thoughts need to be “shaped until they have substance” and need to stand the test of “clarity and questioning.”

Smart people collaborate with other smart people

Thinking with others yields higher returns. It’s like giving yourself a shortcut. That’s why brainstorming sessions are so effective.

Reject popular thinking (which often means not thinking at all)

Too many people act, hoping that others have thought things through first.To reject popular thinking you must be OK with feeling uncomfortable. Also remember that right now, there are a bunch of other people out there deciding to think for themselves — and they’re the ones who are successful.

The best thinkers plan ahead, while leaving room for some spontaneity

When you’re strategic, you reduce your margin of error. Simply having vague ideas of where you are and what you want to accomplish will get you no where.The keys to being strategic: 1. break the issue down, 2. ask why the problem needs to be solved, 3. identify the key issues, 4. review your resources, 5. put the right people in place.Henry Ford once said, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into smaller parts.”

To think differently, do different things

Try new routes to work, meet new people, read books you might even consider boring. The key is exposure to new ideas and ways of life.

To appreciate others’ ideas, you need to value other ideas

You can’t think you’re always right. Give other concepts a chance.

Have an agenda — for the day, and when you meet with people

Too many people only plan for the day. Smart thinkers take time to plan out their weeks, months, and long-term goals — and then they follow through.They also don’t walk into meetings, parties and coffee dates blind. They decide what they want to learn from people before walking through the door.

Reflective thinking gives you perspective and confidence in your decision-making skills

If you’re not reflecting, it’s holding you back more than you think.As Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”

Get over negative self talk. Winners think in terms of “I will” and “I can”

Smart people don’t see limitations. They see possibilities.Former baseball star Sam Ewing once said that “nothing is so embarrassing as watching someone do something that you said could not be done.”

Creative people are dedicated to ideas

They embrace ambiguity, don’t fear failure, and hang out with other creative people.

Naturally optimistic people find it hard to be realistic thinkers

A realistic perspective allows you to get close enough to a problem in order to tackle it. Facing potential consequences also helps you be more efficient, and it gives you credibility.To become a more realistic thinker, you must: 1. appreciate the truth, 2. do your homework and get the facts, 3. think through the pros and cons, 4. consider the worst-case scenario, and 5. align your thinking with your resources.

At the end of the day, it’s important to remember we can all change the way we think

“Learning how to master the process of thinking well leads you to productive thinking. If you can develop the discipline of good thinking and turn it into a lifetime habit, then you will be successful and productive all of your life.”

Source Taken From The Book : How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life

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21 Comments

1. 

   Marquis

   January 12, 2012 at 6:14 am

   Powerful and very well put. John C Maxwell is one of my favorites. Thx for inviting me to your site.

   Reply
2. 

   Milind Kher

   January 12, 2012 at 10:03 am

   Vintage Maxwell at his best

   Reply
3. 

   Jason Stone

   January 12, 2012 at 10:13 am

   This is fantastic! It helps to bring clarity and substance to information and ideas you already know but have not yet formulated into manageable steps.

   Thank you!
   Jason

   Reply
4. 

   eliezer diaz

   January 14, 2012 at 6:45 pm

   Your site is awesome, and this article is wonderful, very helpful

   Reply
5. 

   Sagitha

   January 16, 2012 at 10:55 pm

   Great thoughts. Except for the first one. Don’t agree that multitasking reduces efficiency. May be I am thinking with a woman’s mind but look at all the Moms of the world – they are all wonderful at multitasking!

   Reply
6. 

   Clive

   January 19, 2012 at 1:26 pm

   i am now re-charged!

   Reply
   • 

     Joel

     January 19, 2012 at 1:55 pm

     Haha great to hear Clive.

     Reply
7. 

   Atkinson

   February 22, 2012 at 2:31 pm

   Soo inspirational. Thanks alot.

   Reply
8. 

   Cianna

   May 4, 2012 at 4:41 am

   I love this site…so addicted!! very powerful, I cant stop reading this.

   Reply
   • 

     Joel

     May 4, 2012 at 5:07 am

     Thank you Cianna. Enjoy!

     Reply
9. 

   michael imailuk

   May 18, 2012 at 10:33 am

   This is quite interesting to learn actually a person to be productive , one needs to change the way one thinks and take a step to critical Analise what thought he or she has what are the repercussions of the action taken about such a thought but all in all risk taker are ever successful.

   Reply
10. 

    Ernesto

    May 23, 2012 at 8:01 pm

    I think this is just another popular article for the theme ‘how to get rich’, with doesnt help. Majority of these points are simply not the key.
    If you want to be succesful:
    - You need to be prepared to lose many times and handle lot of stress
    - You need to do things, which are in demand and which you are good at
    - You need to do it because you like to do, not because you want to earn from that.
    If you want to be successful, dont lose time by reading such articles or books as this one and start doing something real. Experience is best teacher.

    Reply