To think that truly successful people just have a completely different mindset?

I actually think the sentiment behind this kind of post is more damaging than the sentiment behind OP's post. It implies that some people are hopeless and can't have a successful life. This is almost always completely untrue in this country. I know people that have had all the cards stacked against them and have made a real success of their lives. Leaning into a victim mentality has never done anyone any good.

OP simply suggested that successful people have a different mindset than other people. She never suggested that this was the only factor behind their success or that everyone had the opportunity to achieve the same level of success. I think there are obvious traits that drive success and other traits that will hold you back from success. It's not that controversial and absolutely isn't a concept that is mutually exclusive with also acknowledging privilege etc.

Yes, but I don't think it's necessarily a good thing.

To be "truly successful", you need to be a bit reckless and also quite willing to step on other people to get where you want to go. It doesn't always make for a happy person or a good personal life.

Yes, there's a huge crossover between people who are diagnostically a psychopath and CEOs. IMHO you have to have no empathy to step on people on the way up, making your millions/billions through exploitation. So yes, but not in a good way.

Unikely that The CEO of a major UK or International company would bother though. They don't need to establish themselves.
The ones I deal with are on constant improvement, both physical or mental. They run marathons or learn a new language instead of watching TV or reading Fiction in what little spare time they have.
Its sometimes being exhausting just spending a few hours with them.

I think that’s the number one factor in success. I can see success in people before they have even begun.

The only question that immediately comes to mind is ' what's the definition of success?'.

Because having a high achieving career isn't my definition. It really is an achievement to be celebrated in many cases ( not all). Not necessarily success though.

My definition of success would be coming to a point of somewhere near self realisation. This would be where I am aware and consciously feel that all the material, societal and ego based goals we grow up aspiring to, mean absolutely nothing.

Something else, way beyond this that allows for contentment and inner peace regardless of all material and outward achievements is the ultimate success to me.

In a more shallow day to day sense - it's way too complex. I believe opportunity, temperament, environment and maybe a bit of luck all interplay. It's rarely one thing here.

I get pissed at the people who I notice had alot of opportunity failing to realise how much opportunity they had. Failing to recognise that those they judge harshly had multiple cards stacked against them in life.

Not everyone is on an equal playing field.

Yep, they do have a different mindset. Of course, having that different mindset won't guarantee you'll be successful as nothing is guaranteed, depending on your health, background, etc., but mindset is what will drive forward one person whereas someone else with the same circumstances etc won't be successful without the mindset.

I see it with my clients. I've got so many clients with virtually identical backgrounds, skills, qualifications, etc., but they just don't compare in terms of what they achieve, i.e. two qualified self employed electricians. One just oozes enthusiasm, innovation, "go getting attitude" etc and has massively grown his business, employing others, etc. The other, despite similar background, qualifications, etc., is really "woe is me" - everything is wrong, he hates his customers, he's constantly feeling ripped off by suppliers, gets fined for late VAT returns (of course HMRC's fault), and is barely earning more than an average wage, whinging customers don't pay his bills, etc (I'm not surprised as he's probably crap at his job and probably doesn't turn up on time - he doesn't give any vibes that he cares about anything!). Same qualification, different mindset, different outcome!

Surely that depends if they enjoy posting on Linked In? I knew a CEO who spent a lot of time on it trying to establish himself as a “thought leader”.

They’ve probably got people to do all kinds of other things for them, then. I think that’s worth thinking about and really relevant to the subject of the thread.

These are not people who would post on Linked In, if they did they would have people do it for them and they certainly wouldn't share any personal stories.
I get your point but we are talking about 2 very different groups of people

I’m sure you’re not - as I said, I know you’re only commenting on your own experience. And it’s not like you’re conjuring an image that’s totally unrecognisable, either - I do know the hustle culture bunch tend to see the grind and the gym and getting up ten minutes before you go to bed as part of the same LinkedIn fantasy. It’s always seemed a bit of a soulless iteration of ‘success’ to me, but it takes all sorts.

Well I am fat so I am certainly not judging
I am talking about CEO's of large companies or similar high level execs.
I wouldn't dream of suggesting that overweight people cannt achieve, I have done Ok myself BUT my clients are all pretty physically fit and spend quite a bit fo what little free time they have doing exercise.

How curious that you’ve never met an overweight high achiever. I’m a fat woman with a PhD (not to suggest that I’ve been a stratospheric success, of course, but I wouldn’t exactly class myself as mediocre, either). Several of my colleagues, widely published tenured professors, are large people. Plenty of fat people reach the very top of political power. Lots of extremely rich people I can think of are overweight.The current US President is a fat guy (and that’s far from his greatest weakness, obviously). The list goes on.

I’m not trying to get at you here, by the way - you were only commenting on your own experience. But I do find the broader idea that fat people don’t tend to achieve at high levels concerning. I wonder to what extent it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy for many of us. I’m fat because of disability, and I’ve certainly had to coach myself not to accept people telling me I can’t be successful because I’m disabled and fat.

Due to my job I have quite a lot of high achievers and HNWI as clients and I think they do share some characteristics
They are generally quite hyper, not much chill
Very hard working, work late, start early
Physically fit, at least run a lot but also go to the gym or play a sport regularly
Not much free time but don't seem to want it
Unconcerned with details unrelated to their job
Expect high standards from everyone around them
Dress well
I know its a generalisation and some people who have MW jobs may be like this but its what I have seen. I have never met a high achiever who was overweight though.

@blackcatsarethebestcats you were a tad irritable last night. There really was no need to be so rude and aggressive. Ffs. 🙄

Absolutely. I have zero ambition so I’m not rich. I’m happy going to my job and coming home at the end of the day with no stress. It’s not all luck, you have to have the personality

@blackcatsarethebestcats , I did not see that in the OP’s comment at all. I interpreted it that those who succeed either with luck on their side or not do so because they possess a certain mindset. That’s not blaming poor people if anything it’s a kick in the teeth for those who start out with many advantages and still manage to fail.

Most new businesses fail - most people who take risks in that area crash and burn. There's a definite survivorship bias with this stuff - we just hear the success stories.

Do you? That's interesting (genuinely not sarcastically meant), as I mostly think the opposite, how pretty average they sound, much of it circumstance and luck and sometimes the right kind of family.

I want to add, that although he was of above average intelligence, he wasn’t super bright in the academic sense. He tended to get B’s rather than A’s. I think it was his ambition and his people skills that propelled him up the career ladder.

I knew a very successful bloke who seems to. When we were at secondary school together, he was mature for his age and a born leader. He had plenty of self-confidence, but was also very diplomatic. I liked him.

Later, he joined the Armed Forces and pushed himself to be in the top 5% in fitness tests and other assessments. He soon became an officer and was eventually in charge of a platoon in a combat zone. I think many people would baulk at that responsibility.

After a few years, he left the forces and went into sales. I think he now manages the European sales division for the large company he works for.

I think a lot of successful people have the ability to be able to only think of themselves and go after what they want. They don’t worry about stepping on people toes.
I wish could do that more.

I'm really interested in reading about narcissists at the moment. Apparently a lot do tend to be successful because they have to feel superior and admired by others. So they'll stop at nothing to get there.

I know a few people with net worth of over 100 million and they are around my age or younger. They work very hard but all share one mindset, they are rather fearless amd not as risk averse as normal people. And they get to do that because their family are rich too. They are also very confident, again because life has been treating them well since childhood. They network easily with this confidence. They have great academic background because daddy paid for it. I truly believe it's less of a mindset but a very lucky life circumstance from birth for most of them.

Of course they are part of it. trump lied repeatedly about his wealth to investors and lenders (just as one example). Indeed they both lie brazenly and regularly.