Ready, Fire, Aim!
What's the difference between the 5% of individuals who succeed and the 95% that don't?
Now I have been to numerous different seminars and seminar previews over the past few months and the funny thing is that they all ask this very question! And would you believe that they provide the same answer too?
The difference between the 5% of individuals who are able to lead extraordinarily rich, fulfilling lives and the grumpy 95% that are barely struggling to survive is that the former TAKE ACTION.
Be it buying a self-improvement book and actually reading and applying the ideas there, attending seminars and following up on at least one key concept shared or simply, going up to a stranger, shake his hand and begin a conversation, the people who are going to get anything done in life are the ones who go out and just do it.
I mean, sure, you can always wait till you have read every single book ever written on networking before you turn and say hi to the person next to you in any social event, or you can just introduce yourself and see how things go from there. You never know if the next person you meet is going to become your business partner, a lifelong friend or have something interesting to share with you that could potentially change your life.
Imagine how many opportunities you have already missed because you allowed inertia to get the better of you!
In the fast changing world of web 2.0, you would be at a severe disadvantage if you have not heard of and/or are not applying the “Ready, Fire, Aim” concept of doing things. The essence of this philosophy of living is that if you spend too much time preparing (analysis paralysis) and getting it right first (aiming), you either never get to doing it or someone else is going to beat you to it.
So the trick is to take action first and then adjust and refine your product/service/strategy.
If you need proof that it works, just look at Bill Gates, the richest man in the world. Isn't windows a product of the “Ready, Fire, Aim” philosophy?
So, what action are you taking today?
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After-note:
I found the “Ready, Fire, Aim!” concept being discussed in the following books which you may want to check out –
What a Great Idea! 2.0: Unlocking Your Creativity in Business and in Life by Chic Thompson and
Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat by Michael Masterson
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I actually think the title of this site is brilliant. SJ Yee realizes that “book smart” people as himself are often good at learning/regurgitating other people’s information — but are often deficient in coming up with their own ideas and anything requiring creative thought. Wasn’t that one of the lessons of The Apprentice 3, when the “book smart” people had major problems beating people who didn’t even have a college degree? Hence, “personal development”… SJ and other “book smarts” may be severely lacking in those areas, but at least they recognize that and are trying to improve. Good luck on that.
I read the above comments with interest. Just what is so called “originality” & a “inspired”. I guess everything we know of is a spin-off inspired plus internalized thing of each other. How else does one explain how similar each book/speaker on success sounds like the other? But this shows one thing for sure – that success principles shouldnt defer too far from each other. Hence, overlapping is inevitable.
At the end of the day, the notion is true. If you are able to reproduce what you have learnt, then that knowledge becomes YOURS.
The worse are those who not only never contribute, but add sarcasm to other’s personal blog. Else, why is it called a blog?? hehehehheh..
Chill man,
Ezen Ho
http://www.wealth-fx.com
As the saying goes, great minds think alike.. no doubt authors of great minds write alike too! Looks like the lack of creativity in some places is probably due to the lack of encouragement and herm… (personal attacks as well)
Practising what one preaches is what I see here.. good work.
Hi Kwong, there’s always more than one way to look at something. I see it as a synthesis of ideas. Did anyone else come up with the same title “Personal Development for the Book Smart” before this? Well, not that I’m aware of.
I was just describing my thought process earlier. People make use of reference points to start brainstorming new ideas. I didn’t go with Rich Grad Poor Grad, I didn’t go with Personal Development for Smarties nor did I go with Personal Development for Smart People (Since it was already taken). I went with Personal Development for the Book Smart, something no one else thought to use until I started my site.
I’m quite sure Steve thought of the title “Personal Development for Smart People” after going through the same process of having thought about “Personal Development for Dummies” first. Based on your argument, that’s not original as well, is it? So what’s your definition of original? Is the synthesis of different ideas not original? Because most of the great inventions and ideas in this world came to being that way.
Like I said, two people can perceive the same thing very differently. You are entitled to your own opinion but personal attacks like what you just displayed are really hitting below the belt.
Hmmmm. So
“Rich Grad Poor Grad” = ripoff of Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad Poor Dad”
“Dummies to Smarties” = ripoff of John Wiley & Son’s “For Dummies” series
“Book Smarts” = ripoff from Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice 3”
“Personal Development for the Book Smart” = ripoff of Steve Pavlina’s “Personal Development for Smart People”
SJ Yee = No Original Ideas of His Own?
Maybe not surprising, considering the lack of creativity problem in Singapore and at NUS. Maybe another reason his girlfriend left him?
Sad… the last couple of decades Asians have been working hard to overcome the stereotype that what they do best is copy, and this site is currently not doing a thing to help that cause.
They say it’s a good sign when you have critics in the house. It shows that there’s always room for improvement!
*lays out red carpet* Welcome!
Let’s zoom in on the title first. As I have discussed in my about page, the idea for this website was conceived in May. When I sat down to do up this site in June, I had to give RichGrad.com a good title to reflect its purpose.
Some initial ideas were Rich Grad Poor Grad, Personal Development for Dummies and so on. I realized that they were not good titles because of their negative components. I then changed Dummies to Smarties, but decided I didn’t want to advertise the chocolates.
I did come across Steve’s page when I was googling in those lines to make sure no one else had the same title. Obviously, “Personal Development for Smart People” was out. It was then that I remembered the epic battle between the Book Smarts and Street Smarts in the Apprentice.
Hey, right! Book Smarts! I surveyed some of my friends as I was undecided between “Personal Development for Book Smarts” and “Personal Development for the Book Smart”. And that was essentially how the title was born.
Hope you are still with me.
As for the Vegan part, if you have read the article, you would realize that my decision was based on a number of different factors (one of which being that I was introduced to the Health Wealth Paradox). If you really wanted to trace it back, I think it was Anthony Robbins who popularize it. Correct me if I’m wrong.
We are all entitled to our opinions and most of us are quick to judge (Hey I’ve been guilty of that on more than one occasion!) It’ll be great if you could spend some time to read through everything I have to offer first, before making up your mind.
Cheers!
Agreed that sounds quite similar to Chic Thomspson’s book. Then again, this entire site seems like a near-copy of Steve Pavlina’s “Personal Development for Smart People,” down to the title and even the vegan experiment!
But keep up the, er, “good” work.
Hi David, I came across the concept of “Ready, fire, aim” in a NLP seminar. I haven’t heard about this book you were referring to but I will definitely check it out.
I wrote this article entirely based on what I internalized. And the examples I used were my own analogies – not based on what I learnt during the seminar or on any particular book I have read up to this point.
Hope that helps to clear things up. =)
Funny, this is quite similar to what Chic Thompson talks about in his “What a Great Idea 2.0” book, yet I see no reference. Did you come up with these ideas simultaneously? Is there enough difference in presentation to not warrant a cite?
Just curious.
All men die . . . few men really live. – William Wallace, Braveheart
That’s true… one must TAKE ACTION.
It is better to fire more shots than just keep aiming and wait! Many normally learn better when making mistakes. However, one can be well prepared by reading or follow certain patterns on excellence. This certainly reduces silly mistakes. However, to me that is still consider taking shortcuts. Thus, one will learn less. The impact is not so strong!
Just my two cents
Best Wishes
Sam Chan