This week I’m releasing a big project. It’s been in the works for a couple of months now but with the holidays and seeking insight and guidance from trusted advisors, well, it’s been delayed until now. Truth is, a little voice has been nagging at me about it – ever happen to you? That worried voice that wants me to hold back. I confessed this to my husband on Sunday, and he pointed me to a New York Times article on What Drives Success, that he thought might be interesting to me.
What drives success? Turns out that, sometimes, it’s that small worried voice – the one that Underdog me must overcome.
What drives success? Is it nature or nurture? Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld, the authors of the article, say it’s culture. But what got my attention is that, despite cultural differences, successful groups share three things that drive them: it’s a hypomanic triple whammy of superiority complex + impulse control + deep inferiority that is a hallmark of many successful people.
It’s fascinating to consider this from different angles: as a successful person yourself who struggles with one or more of these traits – no matter your cultural upbringing, from the perspective of your particular cultural group, or as an parental figure.
