Are we mimicking the right things for success?

The Olympics just ended in Paris. For the athletes, this is their penultimate competition, the event that they have been training for, their entire life, right up to this moment! Success and fame determined by a mere fraction of a second; shaped by a split second decision taken, impacted by a mere fraction of a centimeter difference.

The games are over, but the mimicks are just starting to stir.

I recall, in 2016 Joseph Schooling won Singapore's first Olympic gold medal in swimming, the next thing we know, everybody started going swimming, I know, because the public pool that I swim in was definitely more crowded. We can say, we are inspired to take up the sport, or perhaps we are just mimicking the motion in the hope of achieving similar success. I am quite sure our kite foiling clubs will be filled this weekend, we are all truly inspired by our 17 year old Max Maeder’s Olympic bronze medal win.

It is a known fact, infants mimic what they see, and I guess, we never really outgrow this basic skill.

When our favorite celebrity spots a new fashion, we mimic.

When Taylor Swift writes “13” on her hands, 13 million Swifties mimics the same, including the two Swifties in my family.

When Kipchoge runs with Nike’s VaporFly, many runners mimics in the hope of reach the same success.

So many people puts on Air Jordans, in the hope that they can play as well as Michael Jordon on the court.

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Does mimicking really brings us the success we crave to be associated with?

We all know it doesn’t, but we still do it anyway, in the hope that, perhaps something mystical or magical might happen.

Or perhaps we are just mimicking the wrong thing, because we are ‘too lazy’ to mimic what is truly important to achieve success, hard work.

Michael Jordan is known for good work ethics, putting in long hours practicing his shot, just so that he can perfect it every time. Perhaps mimicking his choice of shoe is easier than practicing extra hours shooting hoops.

Kipchoge runs about 200 km per week, or about 5 marathon distance each week. That is how he gets to being the top marathoner. Perhaps buying the VaporFly is easier than clocking in 200km every week.

Are we actually mimicking the right things for success, or have we short changed ourselves by following the wrong piper?

Association and possession do not result in success, but hard work and a bit of luck does!

When it comes to business and the work place, I see mimics all over. Even our bosses encourages us to mimic the success examples around us. We ask our most successful employee to share the secrets of their success, and all the rest of us laps it up and does our best to mimic their golden steps. Most of us will drop off when our perseverance wanes, and for the rare few that held on for longer, they too will come to realize after a while, perhaps they were mimicking the wrong thing.

Many people don’t like to mimic the hard work of successful people, they try to pick and choose the ‘magic formula’, the ‘quick tips’, the ‘secret sauce’, the special ingredient, or even mystical practices for instant success. If only success could come so easily.

Then there is the case for ‘good luck’, how does one mimic luck?

I know two friends whom I considered very lucky. They have won many lucky draw contests. They have won free trips, free gadgets, shopping vouchers, hotel stays, and plenty of stuffs. Definitely much more than me. Their luck is extraordinary good. As far as I know, they are not into Feng Shui or some esoteric Qimen practices. They are just very lucky people, and one of them happens to be a subscriber to this newsletter too.

What is the secret to their good luck? How can we mimic their good luck?

I spoke with both of them, and even though they are in different circles, what they have done is remarkably similar and simple.

They work hard and they work smart.

They both work hard, they really do join a lot of contests.

For every 1 contest I participate in, they join in about 15. They work 15x harder than me! They work smart. They study the contest rules, they analyze their probability of success, they anticipate their competitive landscape, and they pick their contests carefully, they labor to increase they win chances.

No wonder they have such good ‘luck!’

What ensures a health doze of ‘good luck’ is again hard work.

If we want success, let’s not solely rely on luck, let’s not only look for the ‘secret sauce’, let’s not mimic the wrong things. If we want success, we need to start with the conviction that if we put in the hard work, we will get to success! Next we need to cultivate the discipline of hard work and diligence.

A closing note: All said and done, I am still a believer in divine providence and unmerited divine favor.