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The Problem With Studying Success Stories

Bookshelves are filled with countless recounts of success. From political leaders to prominent businessmen, big names seem to all get a biography written about them on their ascent to greatness. news articles, blogs, TV shows, books, basically those that do well get a lot of publicity thrown their way.

In previous posts, we discussed so much attention being put on those that succeed. And one recurring theme that tends to come up is to study past successes (hence the large amount of PR given to them) and emulate them so that you too can be successful.

What is often not mentioned is the scores of people who failed. One could venture to argue that there are far more failures then successes that are found on front covers of big name magazines. And these failures have a lot of experience, hard won experience that they bled for, they say that experience is a great teacher and failure is an even better teacher. But you know what? Most of these failures are dead/ Their stories unwritten and unaccounted for. And dead men don’t speak.

The Other Side of the Coin

So the point I’m trying to make is this: be careful when reading though all these famous accounts of success because when all these stories and documentaries on their lives are aggregated together, they paint an incomplete picture. Success blinds us, we become full of it and think we are so great when that is not necessarily the case. And though you may be only reading recounts, that arrogance is susceptible to bleeding over. This gives you a slanted view of the way the world is.

So be careful. Look to the graves because who knows? You might find some answers.

Kingston S. Lim

10th June 2022