Learning From The Best

Have you ever wished that instead of learning life’s lessons the hard way, you could take a short cut and find out what really works? One of the best ways to do exactly that is to read the biographies of successful people.

I became a huge fan of biographies when I realised that they offer a way to access a lifetime of experiences and lessons in just a few short hours of reading.

A great way to read a biography is to keep a notebook by your side to jot down the following:

(1) Success Factors – Every time you read a biography you’ll discover some nuggets of wisdom. For example, here is a quote from Fred Astaire’s autobiography that struck a chord with me:

"What counts more than luck is determination and perseverance.
If the talent is there, it will come through. Don’t be too impatient.
Stick at it. That’s my advice." – Fred Astaire

(2) Mistakes Made – Another valuable thing about biographies is that you not only learn from what people did right, but you also learn a great deal from reading about the mistakes people made during their lives. For example, Beatrix Potter did not receive regular accounts from her publishers and in 1917 she discovered that one of them had been siphoning off money to fund a fishing business in the Channel Islands. The lesson I took away from this was that you should never blindly trust anyone with your finances.

At the end of reading a biography in this way you’ll be left with a few pages of notes that distill the essence of each person’s success.

Another important aspect of reading biographies is that you’ll discover that even the most successful people have the same insecurities as the rest of us. For example, although Sir Edmund Hillary had the courage to conquer Mount Everest, he did not have the courage to propose to his wife! In the end he asked his prospective mother-in-law to propose for him. In his biography he writes, "What a coward I was, but I was mighty pleased with the result."

Reading biographies is a great way to uncover the real people that exist behind the legends. In every case you’ll discover a story of a normal person just like you or me who pursued their dream and persevered though difficulties in order to achieve success. Their inspirational stories will also give you the additional confidence you need to go after your own goals and dreams.

If you’re not sure where to start, here are some of the biographies I’ve enjoyed recently:

• ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’ – Li Cunxin
• ‘It’s not about the bike’ – Lance Armstrong
• ‘Ian Thorpe: The Biography’ – Greg Hunter
• ‘Steps in Time’ – Fred Astaire
• ‘Beatrix Potter’ – Linda Lear.

As you can see, this selection reflects my interests in dancing, art, writing and sport so my main suggestion is that you identify the people who you already admire and read their biographies to discover the characteristics that made them successful.

Biographies of the world’s most successful people are a great way to develop the mindset you need to achieve success. They are also an incredibly interesting way to learn how other people have approached this amazing journey we call life.

Until next time,

Dare To Dream!

Anthony