Is this the secret to success?

24 replies
Could this be true?

I just stumbled onto an article in today's paper at Why psychopaths are more successful - Telegraph that claims you can become more successful by being more fearless, more ruthless, more confidant and lack empathy.

In short... become a psychopath....

Thought that this section of the warrior forum may be interested in discussing the positive traits of psychopaths.

Cheers,
SteveSki
#secret #success
  • Profile picture of the author Jack Thomson
    Obviously you will be more successful in whatever you do if you are completly ruthless and lack any moral...
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    • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Jack Thomson View Post

      Obviously you will be more successful in whatever you do if you are completly ruthless and lack any moral...
      (I disagree ...)

      And money is only one measure of success. The more people I liberate, the more successful I am. Compassion is important to me. It's what keeps me going and working hard.
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      "Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem and turned it into an opportunity."―Joseph Sugarman
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  • Profile picture of the author dee4d
    Interesting! But for how long? That will just be a stint, you will end up feeling empty and frustrated in the long run.
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  • Profile picture of the author C G
    Interesting..

    As long as you take all the good traits and don't harm anyone. I don't see anything wrong about being a psychopath

    Cheers,

    C.G.
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  • Profile picture of the author himanuzo
    For business, you need to focus one method to succeed an business include the internet marketing. I AGREE with it!
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  • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
    Banned
    According to Eben Pagan (Accelerate), the most important business skill is compassion which he defines as “proactive empathy.”

    ...

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    "Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem and turned it into an opportunity."―Joseph Sugarman
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  • Profile picture of the author damiensuccess
    Geesh!
    The concept is true, but the direction is wrong.
    The idea of a fear getting the better of us would create a sense of failure.
    being a crazy psychopath would eliminate this sense.
    Is it because he is successful? or lacking any sense of failure?

    I don't think becoming psychopath is the answer to success.. You become more and more psychopath the more successful you become because of the numbing effect of success. I believe you become desensitized, and since success is already in your nature, your psychopath nature will probably work..


    Depending on your path and where you stand now, being Psychopath could put you on the wrong hospital floor or in jail.

    If anything be a Positive Psychopath
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    • Profile picture of the author Jeff Schuman
      There are more examples of nice guys who finish first then psychopaths being successful.

      Ron Howard, Kevin Durant, Mark Burnett, come to mind. I don't see any reason to be a psychopath just to be successful.
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  • Profile picture of the author tobyjensen
    Any strength over extended may become a weakness. That is what happened here.

    Here are 18 traits to identify a psychopath. I added a note how each one, seen from a different perspective, is vital to achieving a healthy vital life.

    1 Look for glib and superficial charm. A psychopath will also put on what professionals refer to as a "mask" of sanity that is likeable and pleasant. For example, the psychopath may do good deeds to gain his or her victims trust.

    Sincere charm carries a real emotional connection. People love to connect with other people in real meaningful ways.

    2 Look for a grandiose self perception. Psychopaths will often believe they are smarter or more powerful than they actually are.

    Successful people are often positive and believe in themselves. They believe they can accomplish great achievements. Don’t believe me? Ask any teenager what they want to be when they grow up.

    3 Watch for a constant need for stimulation. Stillness, quiet and reflection are not things embraced by psychopaths. They need constant entertainment and activity.

    High achievers are high do-ers. They get things done. They are not overworked or ADD. They take time off to rest on a regular basis but get right back to it when ready. They are motivated and you can see that.

    4 Determine if there is pathological lying. A psychopath will tell all sorts of lies; little white lies as well as huge stories intended to mislead.

    This one is a little more sensitive. The best I can do is say that it is impossible to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (but we can be honest). It would simply take too long to say everything. Does it make us a liar to emphasize what the good traits are about something in order to help another person feel better? Or lift them up?

    5 Evaluate the level of manipulation. All psychopaths are identified as cunning and able to get people to do things they might not normally do. They can use guilt, force and other methods to manipulate.

    Great leaders are cunning and motivate people to achieve greater heights than they thought possible. Then those “manipulated” people honestly thank them for it because they feel free to enjoy a greater success. Of course the leader gets more as well – win/win.

    I could go on with the list but I think you get the idea. A psychopath is a problem not just because of their traits but because of how they use their talents in complete disregard for the welfare of others. Or, in other words, they hurt people and do not care. The rest of us user similar traits because we want others to enjoy success with us. That is the difference.
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  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    the problem is when you assume someone has these traits and they automatically make someone bad .

    does that mean all people without this trait are good ..

    the hedge fund managers that nearly destroyed the economy make large ammounts of money ..


    a you have to be focused on what real success is .. if it is just those with the most money ..then yeah it is much easier to make money if you make drugs that treat illnesses and need people on them for life.. if you use the government to keep the cures off the market .. or subsidize corn ..that gets made into suger..so more people get illnesses from diets with way to much sugar .
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  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    i get argumentative on this bored when people focus on the great success or allude to those with the most money ..because up to this point for the most part to make the really big money ..required empire building ..

    you can make a lot of money drilling down and draining the water from below the ground beneath poor people and selling it for huge profits while you dry up the wells in an area and make the poor worse off ..

    and happily blame the lazy poor people for being poor
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  • Profile picture of the author Dain Supero
    No.

    Read Napoleon Hill's work to find out.

    Psychopathic behavior to secure success is a favorite tool of those who cannot otherwise compete. Tricks work a few times. Sometimes for a long time. People catch on, always.

    One of the many, many examples: Enron

    Example of real success: Warren Buffet

    If you cannot distinguish between the business behavior of the two, then I don't think there is much more to be said.
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  • Profile picture of the author Felix Hill
    If you look at all successful people you'll see that they are very different, but then there are those few traits almost all successful people share.

    Rather than focusing on the differences, I think it's best to find those few traits shared by many, many successful entrepreneurs and business people. Then learn from them and see how you can use those same behaviours to your own advantage, without hurting others.

    There are many good books on the subject of success, but there are only 3 that I think are the best.

    1. The Success System That Never Fails - By W. Clement Stone
    2. How to Think and Grow Rich - By Napoleon Hill
    3. The New Psycho Cybernetics - By Maxwell Maltz and Dan Kennedy

    W. Clement Stone's book that I mentioned above is based on the works of Hill, but how come Hill was relatively poor in his old age and Stone made a fortune in the insurance business?

    Napoleon Hill had a philosophy, but he never had a SYSTEM to apply it to, W. Clement Stone had a sales system, that never failed, applied Hills Philosophy to his own system and made a fortune.

    The keywords for success here are APPLY and SYSTEM. If you take action and follow a proven system and you have the right mental attitude, your chances of success are almost guaranteed in my opinion.

    But most people never find a system and those few who do stop applying their skills to the system long before it's going to make them any money.

    That's just what I think about success. And in the context of what I wrote above, I don't think you need to be a psychopath, just need to be smart enough to hire talent, be an ass when necessary and be determined to reach a single life long goal.

    Felix Hill
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    • Profile picture of the author imlicious
      Originally Posted by Felix Hill View Post

      If you look at all successful people you'll see that they are very different, but then there are those few traits almost all successful people share.

      Rather than focusing on the differences, I think it's best to find those few traits shared by many, many successful entrepreneurs and business people. Then learn from them and see how you can use those same behaviours to your own advantage, without hurting others.

      There are many good books on the subject of success, but there are only 3 that I think are the best.

      1. The Success System That Never Fails - By W. Clement Stone
      2. How to Think and Grow Rich - By Napoleon Hill
      3. The New Psycho Cybernetics - By Maxwell Maltz and Dan Kennedy

      W. Clement Stone's book that I mentioned above is based on the works of Hill, but how come Hill was relatively poor in his old age and Stone made a fortune in the insurance business?

      Napoleon Hill had a philosophy, but he never had a SYSTEM to apply it to, W. Clement Stone had a sales system, that never failed, applied Hills Philosophy to his own system and made a fortune.

      The keywords for success here are APPLY and SYSTEM. If you take action and follow a proven system and you have the right mental attitude, your chances of success are almost guaranteed in my opinion.

      But most people never find a system and those few who do stop applying their skills to the system long before it's going to make them any money.

      That's just what I think about success. And in the context of what I wrote above, I don't think you need to be a psychopath, just need to be smart enough to hire talent, be an ass when necessary and be determined to reach a single life long goal.

      Felix Hill
      Hi Felix,

      I have read those books and it has truly helped me a lot. Another book that I would recommend is the Master Key System. This book has helped me to direct my mind towards success by learning how to control my thoughts.

      Edmund
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  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    mentioning hill..and hid financial state ..

    was he a failure ..or is he a success ..based on the fact his life was based on learning and teaching success ..and many people have gained a lot from it .
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  • Profile picture of the author Gavin Stephenson
    I don't live in the external world too much.

    I live in the life I want to create! My minds eye!

    I always tell people I am cray, because you have to be a bit cray to create what you want.

    OR you could just be NORMAL
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  • Profile picture of the author edragonbiz
    Originally Posted by SteveSki View Post

    Could this be true?

    I just stumbled onto an article in today's paper at Why psychopaths are more successful - Telegraph that claims you can become more successful by being more fearless, more ruthless, more confidant and lack empathy.

    In short... become a psychopath....

    Thought that this section of the warrior forum may be interested in discussing the positive traits of psychopaths.

    Cheers,
    SteveSki
    Interesting thread Steveski. become a psychopath = Successful person not really in my opinion. Still the above adjectives definitely describes a successful person in my opinion
    1.more fearless: a successful person learns how to overcome his fear over and over again to the point where it becomes less an issue

    2. more ruthless and lack of empathy go together in my opinion: A successful person detaches their feelings from what others say about them. They don't take anything personal it's business nothing personal. I believe that it's this line ruthless and lack of empathy are used

    3. more confidant: a successful person is sure of himself even when the odds are against him/her. Failure doesn't destroy but builds them up


    So I would say these adjectives do describe a successful person. Does this mean they psychopaths? I don't think so
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  • Profile picture of the author cshilling22
    It depends on what your definition of success is.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sean May
    Interesting topic. I believe the two traits that really make someone successful that you listed are being fearless and confidant. Taking action without fear of failure and being confidant in yourself and your work attracts success. If you go after a goal knowing that you will accomplish what you set out to you will be successful.

    However, I don't believe you need the other traits of a psychopath for true success.
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  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    look over the different list ..you can probably self diagnose as a psychopath.

    many of the traits are like those with adhd or autism spectrum ..coupled with growing up poor
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  • Profile picture of the author Trey Morgan
    Very interesting read. The media has surrounded the term "psychopath" with so much negativity, but in reality, having psychopathic character traits is not necessarily a bad thing.
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    • Profile picture of the author Odahh
      Originally Posted by tvon View Post

      Very interesting read. The media has surrounded the term "psychopath" with so much negativity, but having psychopathic character traits is not necessarily a bad thing.
      well the media exist to give everyone who watches it the wrong idea about everything..
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  • Profile picture of the author Ean Stark
    Well,just being honest here...I don't agree with that article...and your definition of success might be different from mine!

    Ean
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