âś… FREE ACCESS: Mindset Mastery: 7 Productivity Keys For High-Performing Leaders
Did you know that most lottery winners end up broke?
The reason for that is that they didn’t deserve what they accomplished, they didn’t have the chance to prepare for that change.
They thought that the lack of funds in a bank account was what made them poor.
But actually, like everyone else, poor decisions made them poor.
Steven Covey, the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, wrote the foreword of another book called Prisoner of Our Thoughts, in this foreword, he tells a story about his sabbatical in Hawaii where he picked up a random book from a library and read the following quote:
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
The question that intrigued Covey was:
How do we navigate the space between stimulus and response to transform challenges into triumphs?
Steven Covey wrote about the 7 Habits of Highly Successful People.
And I’d like to propose a a slightly different approach based on the same passage of that random book to propose a framework to navigate that space between stimulus and response to not only get to where you want but most importantly, to stay there.
Here are The 7 Laws of Successful People.
1) Kidlin’s Law
The first law of successful people is Kidlin’s Law.
Have you ever felt like you’re stuck in quicksand with your problems, and no matter how hard you try to escape you just get pulled more into it?
That happens because most of our problems live only in our minds. Our capacity to relive past experiences and imagine possible future scenarios makes us the only creatures on the planet that can suffer when not physically harmed.
Kidlin’s Law says:
By writing down a problem clearly and specifically, you solved half of the matter.
Why? Because when you write down a problem, you’re engaging in a process of mental unpacking.
Writing something forces you to make sense of it, breaking down the problem into more manageable parts, making it easier to approach and eventually solve it.
It also externalizes the problem allowing you to visualize it as an observer instead of a creator.
So, next time you feel stuck in a quicksand of problems, take a moment to write them down as clearly and specifically as you can.
And by clearly and specifically I mean, don’t write just about the problem, but also:
- Your feelings.
- Possible causes.
- Potential solutions.
You might be surprised at how this simple act can bring about a sense of control and clarity.
2) Murphy’s Law
The second law of successful people is Murphy’s Law.
This law says that:
“Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”
Why is that a law of successful people? Well, high achievers understand that Murphy’s Law is not a pessimistic take on life, but a preparation guideline.
Successful individuals harness the essence of Murphy’s Law by preparing for all possible outcomes.
Curiously, history shows that many innovations have stemmed from unexpected turns.
Penicillin, for example, was discovered when Alexander Fleming noticed bacteria-killing mold in a petri dish that was accidentally left open.
So, Murphy’s Law might seem like a pessimistic take on life’s unpredictability, but when applied thoughtfully, it embodies the essence of resilience, preparation, and adaptability — key principles that successful people live by.
3) Gilbert’s Law
The third law of successful people is Gilbert’s Law.
This law says:
“When you take on a task, finding the best way to achieve the desired result is always your responsibility.”
This principle is critical for success because it challenges the passive mindset of waiting for instructions or blindly following predetermined paths without questioning their efficiency.
How can we incorporate Gilbert’s Law into our lives?
Think this way:
The most important aspect of goal-setting is not achieving the goal itself, but making you better at achieving goals.
So, it starts with a mindset shift.
When you accept that success is a long-term game filled with short-term obstacles.
You know that holding yourself accountable is the only way to consistency. Without consistency, there’s no such thing as a long-term game.
The game ends when you stop playing it.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls this:
Autotelic Motivation: which is the motivation fueled by your intrinsic values instead of external factors.
4) Wilson’s Law
The fourth law of successful people is Wilson’s Law.
This law says:
“If you prioritize knowledge and intelligence, money will flow to you.”
Wilson’s Law challenges the conventional rush for immediate financial gains, advocating instead for a long-term investment in yourself.
Here is something to think about:
Every time I see someone going online to tell others fast, simple, and easy ways to make money, I know it’s a scheme.
Why? Because if there was a fast, simple, and easy way to make money, why would they ever tell you about it?
They do because the fast, easy, and simple way to make money is by selling you the fast, easy, and simple way to make money to THEM.
But you?
You will be still broke because you broke the law of wealth by attempting a shortcut that doesn’t exist.
To do something meaningful, you have first to become the type of person capable of doing something meaningful.
So, instead of searching for ways of making money fast, search for ways of improving your skills and knowledge fast.
This will at the very least prevent you from falling for fast-money-making schemes.
Money is energy. It flows through the natural process of learning and excellence.
5) Falkland’s Law
The fifth law of successful people is Falkland’s Law.
This law says:
“If you don’t have to make a decision, don’t make a decision.”
I know, I know…
At first glance, this law might seem like an endorsement of indecision.
But, it’s actually a strategic approach to prioritization by managing our mental and emotional resources.
Some situations can actually benefit from additional time for reflection or the acquisition of more information.
So, next time you have to make an important decision, ask yourself:
“Do I need to make this decision right now?”
If the answer is no, give yourself permission to wait, gather more information, or simply let the situation evolve.
Falkland’s Law reminds us that success is not just about the decisions we make but also about knowing when to make them.
6) Parkinson’s Law
The sixth law of successful people is Parkinson’s Law.
This law says:
“Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”
What this law is saying is that you would complete a task in one day if you had that amount of time available.
But, you would complete that same task in one hour if you only had that time available.
This happens for 3 reasons:
- If you have more time, you can add complexity to tasks.
- If you have more time, you can deprioritize tasks.
- If you have more time, you can procrastinate and still complete tasks on time.
At its core, Parkinson’s Law shows a peculiar aspect of human nature:
Our capacity for efficiency often shines brightest under pressure.
Productivity is not doing a lot of things. It’s getting a lot of results from the limited things we do.
But there’s one thing most people miss:
Results are only result when they are delivered at a particular time.
If you ever missed someone’s birthday, you know what I’m talking about.
The bottom line is:
You won’t be productive until the day you start measuring your accomplishments against time.
7) Pareto’s Law
The seventh and last law of successful people is Pareto’s Law.
This law says:
80% of results come from 20% of causes.
For successful people, this is a practiced philosophy aimed at achieving more results from the least amount of effort.
In personal productivity, for example, it could mean identifying the 20% of your activities that contribute to 80% of your happiness and fulfillment.
The key is to analyze your activities and their results to decide where this critical 20% lies.
Pareto’s Law teaches us that success is not about how much we do, but about how effectively we use our time and resources to focus on what truly matters.
The journey to success is marked by the choices we make in the space between stimulus and response.
A choice is where your past and future meet.
It’s in this place that you have the power to shape your destiny.
