YOU HAVE UNFAIR ADVANTAGES

(NOTES TO SELF #4)    Why do you have UNFAIR ADVANTAGES?

We’ve always been told that success is directly co-related to hard work and the harder we work, the more likely it is that we succeed. But I don’t think it is always the case, everybody has a set of unfair advantages that we can use to succeed in our lives.

You already have what it takes to succeed.

Luck, Circumstances, Privilege & Inherent ability have played a major role in making people ultra-successful. Everybody has different strengths and weaknesses. Unfair advantages give us a competitive edge over others and are difficult to replicate. They are not only limited to just the people who are rich and famous, they are for everyone.

 Success includes both fair play & unfair advantages.

 Working hard, staying Motivated & being Disciplined are all examples of fair play. While being born into a family of means, having an intelligence quotient higher than others, having a high EQ, good education and being born at the right place at the right time (luck) are all examples of Unfair advantages.

No matter how much PR helps these tech entrepreneurs in making their story relatable to the mass, eventually leading to more sales & higher stock prices, it is an undeniable fact that they had certain privileges which eventually put them at a more advantageous than the rest of their peers to build something great. It is also undeniable that they have grit and determination and have done extreme hours of hardwork. We should be inspired by them, but also acknowledge the unfair advantages that they have had.

Identify your advantage. It might be something that you are really good at or really interested in.

You can also help manufacture Luck to some extent. An optimistic approach to look at this is, the person who would show up the maximum number of times, would more likely end up in a position that people call luck. The more you expose yourself to opportunities, the luckier you will get.

A good network can be built by showing up more, being good at something or having great communication skills. You have to go through people who are not like you, to eventually find people who you call your ‘tribe’. Self-introspection will help you identify this.

In professional life, work hard on your strengths, but in your personal life work on your weaknesses. Many people work hard every single day, but that is not enough. Having a roadmap and working hard towards a specific goal is actually what we call smart work.