Blink and Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell indicates in his new book Outliers that those who have reached the pinnacles of success have done so because they were born at a particular time when vast opportunities presented themselves. He point out how Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, who are of the same generation, rose to the heights as new, emerging technologies began to appear in the computer and electronics fields. They were thus a product of their times. Gladwell also points out that it is those who actually seized emerging opportunities were the ones who climbed the pinnacles of success. For after all, millions are part of any given generation, yet it is only those who catch the emerging wave who are able to ride it to the top. Gladwell also suggests that local influences also helped forge their place in the history of their times. E.g., Bill Gates had access to a computer system as a young teen, something others were not fortunate to have had. Thus, the confluence of generational and local opportunity, plus the ability to seize the moment propelled these individuals to greatness in their fields.
At the Human Science project, a collaborative undertaking of members of Mother's Service Society (Pondicherry, India), Growth Online, and others, we address a multitude of emerging issues in the world, including the Character of Life, the Evolution of Society, the Nature of Money, and others. One other division of the site focuses on an understanding of the factors that enable individuals to change the world. We call this area 'Change Makers', and there I have begun to document the factors that have enabled noted individuals throughout history -- such as Elizabeth I, Martin Luther, Winston Churchill, Michael Gorbachev, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs -- to rise to the pinnacles of success, vastly influencing society. There are the to-be-expected determinants of such great accomplishment, such as energy, intention, focus, drive, will, personal values, organization, determination, psychological strength, skills and knowledge, and right attitude. Also included are several factors addressed by Gladwell's Outliers, including generational possibilities, the current social support system for the individual, and most noteworthy, the ability to latch on to a great opportunity, enabling one to catch the emerging wave of society.
At the Change Makers section of Human Science, we also address other, less understood, more subtle forces that propel individuals to the top of their field and affecting society around them. These inner behaviors express through instances of "life response," i.e. sudden good fortune. For example, one individual in a given situation is able to control his emotions when his integrity is falsely attacked, which causes sudden positive developments to move in his direction. Another person reverses a cherished (false) belief, which again sets in motion positive events that conspire to take him to the top of his field. These subtle inner behavioral changes attract just those circumstances that give that person the opportunity and energy to rise to the society-influencing heights. Thus, it is not merely the obvious conditions that catapult one to the stars, but subtle changes of consciousness within.
How then can you practically benefit from these ideas? Are you interested in moving to the top of your field or having a major impact on the world around you. If so, then why not examine the variety of factors that enable it to happen. Look for several key determinants that you are deficient in, and then make a concerted effort to upgrade in those areas. As a result, life's circumstance will suddenly turn positive in ways you would never have imagined. Then you too can become a true Change Maker in your field and make a great impact on the world.
--Roy Posner 17:10, 25 November 2008 (UTC)