What's behind Success and Genius

The when you were born is very much true. The first born child is often better than the rest. Higher IQ's Majority of the presidents and astronauts were first borns. It really comes with the territory. You got to learn to lead by example or get blamed for not leading your siblings.

 

Gladwell means what month of the year you were born. People born earlier in the year reap the rewards of being older, bigger, "smarter" than their peers. They go through early life with a huge advantages.

Summary here but the video is good.

http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com/departments/viewpoint/outliers-malcolm-gladwell-does-it-again

Second, timing really matters in success. I have always liked that classic investment line: “Don’t tell me what to buy; tell me when to buy it.” Gladwell offers two examples that make the timing/success connection. Example 1. Success for youngsters in age-group hockey correlates strongly with being born in the first three months of the calendar year because January 1 is the birthday cut-off. If you are born January 1 you play with youngsters born until December 31 of that year, which means that in the early years if you are born in the first few months of the year you are likely to be bigger, stronger and more coordinated than those born in the last few months of the year. This gives the early month youngsters a big edge. They get noticed more, they get more ice time and the path to success becomes easier and reinforcing. I note that I was born in February and got nowhere in hockey; but no theory is perfect.

Example 2. Just when you were born in the last two centuries correlates with the probability of achieving super wealth. Gladwell lists the 75 richest people of all time and finds, for example, that a staggering 14 were Americans born in a nine-year span between 1831 and 1840. He explains: “In the 1860s and 1870s, the American economy went through perhaps the greatest transformation in its history. This was when the railroads were being built and when Wall Street emerged. It was when industrial manufacturing started in earnest. It was when all the rules by which the traditional economy had functioned were broken and remade. What this list says is that it really matters how old you were when that transformation happened. If you were born in the late 1840s you missed it. You were too young to take advantage of that moment. If you were born in the 1820s you were too old: your mind-set was shaped by the pre-Civil War paradigm. But there was a particular, nine-year window that was just perfect for seeing the potential that the future held.”

 

Einstein was the 8th child in his family.

 

edit: Albert one of two children! He was also the first child!


Issac Newton the man that gave us F=MA and calculus was the first born.

 

This was boundlessly amazing thanks for posting and I really encourage everyone to read up on Chirs Langan. Such a remarkable unsung genius. His IQ is higher than both Einstein and Hawkings, only to be rivaled by Isaac Newton from what I've read so far.

 

What's behind Success and Genius,.........................

truly a most fascinating thread of reading please. i thank all for their postings. i learn great amounts of things here, and i am grateful please.

i am one of whom has great belief in logic. i think the paths of successful endeavors are laced with this brand of thought. it is a conclusionery mode of progressions.

of course this does not mean that success shall always await the logical thinker however the opportunities for it i believe are greater.

perhaps the genius of a successful endeavor may be the consideration of, and the development of this logical, conclusionery path that ultimately leads to the success.

the thread makes me think now, smiles,



alexis

 

Gladwell is a marketable thinker who relies on gimmicky narratives to explain things that are more complicated than what he wants his readers to believe.

He means well but no sale.

 

Really? Did you read Outliers? Interesting read. It lead me to Langan part of the reason I'm doing applied math right now.

 

I believe the theory. I was on a plane with a Dr from Canada (orig from S. Africa) he gave examples of it and was very into the thought.

 

It makes sense. If one is bigger and has more time to practice they're going to be better unless they're a freak of nature like Jordan Gretsky who were born arounf July