Some Characteristics of Successful People

1. They are familiar, but not necessarily friendly (most successful people have a lower than average overall level of friendship and  preferences for being with people
"...when a person is always someone's friend, it's hard to exert dominance..."
Matthew Cooper, 2023

2. They know how to fake it ('fake it, to make it', ie good at pretending they know what they're doing, etc)

3. They uphold their standards when choosing their life partner (most successful people seek long-term relationships, etc)

4. They are good communicators (clarity is important; able to communicate their desire directly and effectively to all stakeholders, etc)

5. They surround themselves a diverse range of people (willing to tolerate different points of view to their own, ie allow themselves to be challenged; understanding who you spend time with has a great influence on them; encourage others to continually develop their skills and abilities)

6. They tend to be creative (think creatively and innovatively; don't allow themselves to be constrained by conventional wisdom, approaches, status quo thinking, group thinking, etc)

7. Good at time and energy management (understand what time of day they are the most productive; good at prioritising; have a good healthy routine for sleeping, exercising and eating)

8. They are optimistic (look for the positives, etc and are not unduly influenced by the negatives; realise that the brain's default position is the negatives)

(main source: Matthew Cooper, 2023)

Interesting Educational Background to Some Successful People

Many celebrated modern-day successful people attended Montessori-based schools. This includes people like Larry Page & Sergey Brin (Google), Taylor Swift (Entertainer), Julia Child (Chef), Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Novelist).

The Montessori approach is based on the findings that

"...Scientific observation of children from birth to adulthood in the early 1900s......it is centred on fostering a child's natural instincts, emphasising hands-on, self-directed learning and collaborative play. Children's independence is encouraged, and it considers them capable of initiating learning themselves in conducive environments, as opposed to structured learning. Teachers...... act as guides or facilitators, rather than the traditional instructors..."

Yolanda Redrup, 2024