- September 26th, 2024, 2:00 am
#468363
This topic is about the September 2024 Philosophy Book of the Month, Zen and the Art of Writing: Publish Your First Book by Ray Hodgson
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Steve Jobs famously remarked that “creativity is just connecting things,” and when you ask successful people how they achieved something, they often feel a little guilty, as though their success wasn’t entirely their doing. Rather, all they observed was something that became clear to them later on.
Many people think that those who are successful are jealous of others or want to prevent others from achieving success, which is why they withhold helpful counsel. However, from Jobs' point of view, the reason successful people find it difficult to articulate their path is because it wasn't straightforward or predictable but was instinctive.
We frequently look to successful people as role models. And a lot of inspirational speeches and success stories attempt to offer a road map, but frequently when someone else follows that road map, different outcomes are obtained. After all, what worked for one person may have been the result of a rare mix of skill, timing, and environment that is hard to duplicate, if not impossible.
Is it appropriate and legitimate for successful persons to give success advice to others? On the one hand, their tales and advice might serve as motivation and offer broad lessons like tenacity or measured risk-taking. However, how trustworthy are those insights if they themselves aren't really sure how they made the connection to success? Would they truly be able to provide advice if they couldn't pinpoint the crucial steps that led them to this position?
To put it briefly, can successful individuals actually share their secrets of success, and should others try to heed their advice? Or is success, in the end, a unique, individual journey?
Steve Jobs famously remarked that “creativity is just connecting things,” and when you ask successful people how they achieved something, they often feel a little guilty, as though their success wasn’t entirely their doing. Rather, all they observed was something that became clear to them later on.
Many people think that those who are successful are jealous of others or want to prevent others from achieving success, which is why they withhold helpful counsel. However, from Jobs' point of view, the reason successful people find it difficult to articulate their path is because it wasn't straightforward or predictable but was instinctive.
We frequently look to successful people as role models. And a lot of inspirational speeches and success stories attempt to offer a road map, but frequently when someone else follows that road map, different outcomes are obtained. After all, what worked for one person may have been the result of a rare mix of skill, timing, and environment that is hard to duplicate, if not impossible.
Is it appropriate and legitimate for successful persons to give success advice to others? On the one hand, their tales and advice might serve as motivation and offer broad lessons like tenacity or measured risk-taking. However, how trustworthy are those insights if they themselves aren't really sure how they made the connection to success? Would they truly be able to provide advice if they couldn't pinpoint the crucial steps that led them to this position?
To put it briefly, can successful individuals actually share their secrets of success, and should others try to heed their advice? Or is success, in the end, a unique, individual journey?
“There is only one thing a philosopher can be relied upon to do, and that is to contradict other philosophers”
– William James
– William James
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