15 Tips on How Successful People Think
How do the most successful people in the world differ from everyone else? They think differently, communicate with those who challenge them, take into account the expiration date of the idea, live differently.
a good idea can change your whole life. BusinessInsider has selected the best tips from John Maxwell’s book “How Successful People Think”.
Do you also think that all successful people are smart?
1. Thinking is like a sport. Exercise to get better
Create a “thinking graph”. Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy sets aside half a day a fortnight, a full day a month, and three to four days a year for mind training.
2. Find what you should focus your energy on, and then apply the 80/20 rule
Direct 80% of your energy to the most important 20% of your efforts. Remember that you can’t be everywhere, know everything and keep up with everything. Avoid multitasking: spraying forces takes up 40% of your energy.
3. Smart people test themselves for strength with “other” ideas and types of people
Spend more time in the company of people who challenge you.
4. It’s one thing to come up with something, another ― to bring the idea to life

Success book with sticky reminder on the white background.
“Ideas have a short shelf life. You must start acting before this deadline is over.” Quote from the book “How Successful People Think”.
5. Thoughts take time to develop. Don’t get hung up on the first thing that comes to mind
Have you ever had a brilliant idea at two o’clock in the morning, and in the morning it sounded ridiculous?! The thought must take shape, pass the test of ” clarity and questions.”
6. Smart people collaborate with other smart people
If smart people think together, the final exhaust increases significantly. It’s like finding a shortcut in a dense forest. That’s why brainstorming is so effective.
7. Give up conventional wisdom
Too many people act on a roll, hoping that someone else has already thought of the right decision before them. To get rid of boilerplate thinking, you must calmly tolerate the feeling of discomfort. And remember, right now many,many people in different parts of the world have decided to think for themselves ― and they are successful.
8. The best minds think things through in advance, leaving little room for spontaneity
As a strategist, you reduce the risk of making mistakes. If you have a vague idea of where you are now and what you want, you risk being nowhere at all. The Path to Strategic Thinking:
1. Drop existing tasks
2. Think about why exactly this problem should be solved
3. Find key tasks
4. Explore resources
5. Put the right people in their places
Henry Ford once said, ” Nothing is particularly difficult if you divide the work into small parts.”
9. To think differently, you must live differently
Find a different way to work, meet new people, read books that seem boring to you right now. The point is that new ideas are closely related to lifestyle.
10. To appreciate other ideas, you must appreciate other people’s ideas
Don’t think you’re always right. Give a chance to other views on the question.
11. You should have a plan of action ― both for the day and for the meeting
Many people write a to-do list for the working day. Smart people find time to plan a week, a month, and long-term goals, and then follow the plan. In addition, smart people do not go to meetings, parties and coffee blindly. They decide what they want to know from a person before they even walk through the door.
12. Reflexive thinking helps you make decisions more confidently and visionary
If you don’t reflect (in the language of psychologists), it holds you back much more than you realize. As Socrates said, ” An unexplored life is not worth living.”
13. Get rid of negation in the conversation. Winners think with the words “I will” and ” I can»
Smart people don’t see obstacles, they see opportunities. Baseball star Sam Ewing once said, ” There’s nothing more embarrassing than seeing someone do something you thought was impossible.”
14. Creative people devote themselves to ideas
They have power over uncertainty, are not afraid of failure and constantly meet with other creatives.
15. Optimists naturally find it difficult to think pragmatically
Pragmatic thinking helps you get close to the problem and the solution. Sober-minded people are more effective in business, they are more trusted. To become a realist:
1. Appreciate the truth
2. Stock up on facts
3. Think through all the pros and cons»
4. Consider the worst-case scenario
5. Correlate ideas with resources