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Forget about Overnight Success, Nice Guys Finish First writes Barrie Bergman

February 15, 2010 by serge the concierge

I had heard about the book Nice Guys Finish First (the one below *) here and there but let's be honest, I have not read it nor did I know much about Barrie Bergman, its author.

Niceguys

We do share roots in the record business except I was never more than a small fish.

What brought Barrie to my attention was his manifesto The Myth of Overnight Success (February 10) for ChangeThis.

With my European background, I think in America we sometimes want instant results where perseverance would be advisable.

Addressing The Myth, Barrie writes:

"Personally, I’ve never met an overnight success. I’ve met people who’ve done something well for a long time and were suddenly discovered."

It takes time to learn your craft whether you're a musician, writer, designer, architect, entrepreneur, winemaker you name it.

Attending recent wine tastings with European producers who can trace their roots going back generations if not centuries gave me that sense of perspective. They are not stuck in their ways. They benefit from past knowledge while eager to tweak things.

Barrie's closing lines for The Myth of Overnight Success summarize it all:

"Our society is fascinated by get-rich-quick schemes, miracle weight-loss programs, the idea of instant results, instant wealth—the overnight success. Too often, integrity is sacrificed to those efforts and, even if there are temporary riches, there is no real success. In the end, successful companies and people are those that recognize that success is built with integrity, one day at a time, and they put in the time to prove it."

Take the time to Read the rest of his manifesto.

In the course of looking at theme of Nice Guys Finish First, I read This Piece (December 09) by Tracy Staedter for Discovery. She starts with the words:

"Survival of the fittest is so two centuries ago. These days it's all about survival of the kindest. So all of you cut-throat, road-raging, self-absorbed, Wall Street, pirating, war-mongering, greedy jerks out there, take note: Your "every man for himself" philosophy will have you finishing last.

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have compiled a ton of evidence to suggest that survival of the kindest is responsible for the continuity of our species."

Fond of BBC Documentaries, check this Video where Richard Dawkins talks at selfishness versus cooperation.

(* I wrote 'the one below' regarding the 'Nice Guys Finish First' book as it seems to be a popular title from baseball to dating to innovation, a crowded field)

Steadfast for Monday Work Etiquette # 129

Previously: The Art of Napping at Work, a Touch of Zen for Monday

Posted on February 15, 2010 in Books, Consumer Products, Health, Personal Organizer, Serge the Concierge, To Do Lists, Weblogs | | Comments (0)

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