How Superachievers Think to Reach Consistent Success

By Gerhard Gschwandtner

Over the past nine years, Personal Selling Power has interviewed over 50 Superachievers. These men and women have become mentors whom readers could emulate. In Personal Selling Power cover stories, they have explained their ideas on selling and succeeding.

The Superachievers share some common characteristics. Most came from modest backgrounds and rose to higher levels of success than other members of their families, contemporaries or friends. Today all are wealthy, influential, respected, and, as a group, are also more satisfied with work marriage, and their lives in general. The majority of these Superachievers are successful business executives, others are leading figures in the fields of entertainment, medicine, sports, education and science.

As we have met these Superachievers and observed them in social gatherings, we have wondered why so many radiate a special quality that almost defies description. In their presence people tend to feel differently about themselves. in addition, the Superachievers seem to draw the best out of others. All the Superachievers have reached superior economic wealth ranging from several million dollars up to %400 million.

Although many Superachievers have discussed the "secrets" of their success, and although many of their actions have been described in great detail, very little is known about what processes of thought enable Superachievers to reach very high levels of success.

Equally little is known about what average achievers can do to reach the kind of success attained by Superachievers. To gain more insight into these questions, Personal Selling Power asked De. Seymour Epstein, a noted psychologist known for his research on constructive thinking and life success, to conduct a scientific study to identify the most striking differences between a group of 50 Superachievers and a group of 200 sales and marketing executives (called Average Achievers throughout this report).

Given the fact that it takes about one hour to complete all survey questions, the final response rate of 52.5%, is extraordinary. We’d like to thank every single participant for making a significant contribution to our understanding of success!

Personal Differences Between Superachievers (SAs) and Average Achievers (AAs):

1. Educational background:

Similarities: It was interesting to note that the parents of both groups, Superachievers and Average Achievers, reached similar levels of education. It was even more interesting that both groups far exceeded their parents’ level of education.

Differences: Superachievers performed significantly better in high school than Average Achievers.

2. Religious affiliation
AAs SAs

Protestant 52% 53%
Catholic 20 34
Jewish 16 4
Other 12 9

3. Business attitudes:

Similarities: Superachievers and Average Achievers believe that to be successful in business, it is important to be a warm and cooperative person. Both groups are equally aggressive in business and about life in general.

Differences: In their business interactions, Superachievers, appear to be more sensitive to other people’s needs.

4. Age:
SAs AAs

Under 30 years 0% 13%
30 – 40 Years 16 38
40 50 years 16 37
50 – 60 years 36 10
over 60 years 32 2

5. Physical activity and recreation:

Similarities: Both groups spend about 3-6 hours a week on passive recreation such as watching movies, TV or attending sports events. They tend to spend an equal amount of time on physical exercise.

Differences: Superachievers pay a little closer attention to diet than Average Achievers. In addition, Superachievers tend to take more vacations away from home.

6. Marital status:
SAs AAs

Single, never married: 4% 8%
Single, divorced or separated: 0 9
Single, widowed: 8 0
Divorced and remarried 40 16
Married, never divorced: 48 67

How Successful are Superachievers?

1. Financial success:

Superachievers are wealthier.

It is important to note that the economic status of the Superachievers surveyed was slightly lower during their childhood years than the economic status of Average Achievers during the same time period. Although both groups enjoy a much higher economic status today, the Superachiever group has clearly achieved a dramatic increase in financial success. in addition, Superachievers enjoy greater levels of satisfaction with their income.

2. Family success:

Superachievers enjoy their families more.

Similarities: Both groups surveyed put a high priority on family life. Superachievers and Average Achievers enjoy an equally close relationship with their children.

Differences: Superachievers tend to be slightly more satisfied with their marriages, and more satisfied with their family lives. Superachiervers also spend significantly more time with their spouses or children as compared to Average Achievers.

3. Life success:

Superachievers find more meaning in life.

Similarities: Both groups feel that material possessions are only moderately important in life.

Differences: Superachievers are far more satisfied with life in general than are Average Achievers. They also feel that they are fulfilling their potential in life. When asked about their sense of contribution, Superachievers clearly showed a greater feeling of satisfaction with their ability to contributes something of value to others.

4. Work success:

Superachievers work more effectively.

Similarities: Superachievers and Average Achievers seem to work equally hard at their occupations with an average work week of slightly over 50 hours.

Differences: It is not surprising that Superachievers advance in their jobs significantly faster than Average Achievers. The responses also indicate that Superachievers find significantly higher levels of satisfaction with their work and clearly express superior levels of satisfaction in what they accomplish.

5. Social success:

Superachievers have better social skills.

Similarities: Among the many categories compared in the study, in the category of social success and satisfaction, Superachievers are clearly a breed apart. There are few similarities in this category, mainly significant differences as listed below.

Differences: Superachievers appear to possess the kind of interpersonal skills that everyone else is looking for. As a result, Superachievers exceed Average Achievers in popularity. When a Superachiever speaks in a group setting, he or she will have far more influence on the group than an Average Achiever. In general, other people view a Superachiever’s level of success as far superior compared to that of the Average Achiever. On a more personal level, superachievers tend to have a greater ability to make friends, and feel more satisfied with their established circle of friends. Superachievers also have a significantly higher number of trusted friends compared to Average Achievers.

Differences In Physical and Psychological Health:

1. Physical health:

Superachievers enjoy better health.

Similarities: In many categories, Superachievers and Average Achievers reported very similar health data like blood pressure, frequency of respiratory infections or limited use of alcohol or drugs.

Minor Differences: Superachievers have a tendency to sleep better, to have fewer minor illnesses, to experience fewer accidents due to carelessness. In general, Superachievers tend to have a smaller number of ailments compared to Average Achievers.

Major Differences: Although the average age of the Superachievers surveyed is higher than the Average Achievers, Superachievers are significantly more satisfied with their health.

2. Psychological health:

Superachievers feel better.

Similarities: Superachievers and Average Achievers very rarely require psychological counseling.

Minor differences: Average Achievers tend to experience slightly higher amounts of anxiety. They also tend to have more sleeping problems than Superachievers. When asked about how frequently they experience feelings of depression, Average Achievers reported a slightly higher number.

Major differences: Superachievers have significantly fewer problems with managing anger compared to Average Achievers. Superachievers experience significantly less psychosomatic systems. When asked about how frequently they experience "a warm glow of serenity or good feelings, or feeling exhilarated and on top of the world," Superachievers reported significantly higher frequency rates compared to Average Achievers.

How Do Superachievers Think Differently To Achieve Higher Levels Of Success?

To determine how Superachievers think differently, and to clarify the relationship between thinking and success, Dr. Seymour Epstein’s "Constructive thinking Inventory" test was given to all participants. This test has been validated through extensive research and some of the findings have been reported in psychological journals and most recently in The New York Times. For many decades, educators have assumed that academically correct thinking would lead to success in life. However, recent research suggests that IQ is not strongly associated with success in life. Dr. Epstein stated in an article (The New York Times, April, 1988): "Intellectual gifts don’t mean that you will earn the most money or achieve the most recognition in life."

Constructive Thinking Inventory – a sample question

For the following statements, answer "definitely false," "mostly false," "undecided," "mostly true," or "definitely true."

1. I am the kind of person who takes action rather than just thinks or complains about a situation.

2. I don’t let little things bother me.

3. I tend to take things personally.

4. I get so distressed when I notice that I am doing poorly in something that it makes me do worse.

The Superachiever answers for this test sample would be:
1. Definitely true
2. Definitely true
3. Definitely false
4. Definitely false

Based on such questions, Dr. Epstein was able to identify nine different forms of constructive thinking in which Superachievers clearly outperform Average Achievers. Below is a listing of those thought patterns with the most significant difference to Average Achiever’s thoughts in the first place, and the type of thinking with the least significant differences in last place.

1. Capacity for coping with disapproval

Superachievers think in ways that make them far less sensitive to disapproval and rejection. They brush off rejection more quickly, they don’t get as upset by it and don’t worry as much about what other people think of them. When being made fun of, Superachievers are less sensitive than Average Achievers.

2. More action oriented thinking

Superachievers think in ways that facilitate effective action. They don’t spend a lot of time worrying about a deadline; instead they go ahead and do the work. When a large amount of work piles up, Superachievers are not afraid of trying hard and failing. If they make a mistake, they take action immediately and quickly recover from their mistakes.

3. Effective thoughts to cope with negative emotions

Superachievers’ thoughts are more focused on the task at hand. They refuse to let their minds drift to unpleasant events of the past. They don’t let little things bother them. If they can’t do anything about a negative situation, they don’t worry about it and they move on with their lives. They don’t dwell on their mistakes but they learn what they can from them and then move on to other events. If something unpleasant should happen to them, they isolate the experience and don’t overgeneralize about all the things wrong in their lives.

4. Less superstitious thinking

Superachievers’ actions are less handicapped by superstitious thoughts. When something good is happening to them, they don’t think it will automatically be balanced with something bad. They don’t give up hope in view of the possibility that what they hope for might not happen. When something bad happens, they don’t assume that more bad things are likely to follow.

they refuse to think that their thoughts about success can actually prevent them from succeeding. Superachievers don’t believe in good or bad omens.

5. Better thought for coping with failure

Superachievers don’t think that they are failures if they don’t achieve their goals. If they fail, they don’t take failure very hard. Their thoughts neutralize perfectionistic impulses effectively; they don’t tell themselves, "unless I do a perfect job I am a failure." Superachievers view failures as an important part of learning and refuse to equate failure with low self-worth. Their correct thinking saves them from psychological pain. If they fail, Superachievers don’t invest too much time worrying about it, but learn from the experience and move on. As a result, they are able to take reasonable risks and maintain a high level of productivity.

6. Less categorical thinking

superachievers don’t restrict their thinking by establishing rigid patterns. they don’t classify people as "for" or "against" them, they don’t divide others into "winners" and "losers", they accept people for who they are as individuals. They don’t believe that when people treat them badly, they should retaliate the same way. They are flexible in their business dealings and favor compromise over rigid decisions. They refuse to see the world as "black and white," and don’t think that there is only one right answer to every question. they allow themselves to trust others and they accept people as they are without judging them.

7. Absence of naive optimism

Superachievers think thoughts through without jumping to false conclusions. they don’t conclude form a single success experience that they will always do a good job at everything. When something good happens to them, they don’t believe that more good things will automatically follow. When they are loved by someone, they don’t conclude that they will be able to accomplish whatever they want to. If they do well on an important task, they don’t believe that they are a total success. Superachievers are able to see their actions and the world in a healthy, realistic perspective. They are optimists, yet realists.

8. High on optimism and planning

Superachievers think optimistically and plan purposefully. When they have to do unpleasant chores, they make the best of it by thinking pleasant thoughts. They look at challenges not as things to fear, but as opportunities to test themselves and to learn. they think encouraging thoughts in the face of difficulty and easily find ways to look at the positive side of life. Superachievers get important tasks done quickly by establishing clear priorities and developing an effective action plan. Once the plan is established, they stick to it. They carefully think through future events in advance and imagine the best outcome.

9. Low levels or esoteric thinking

Superachievers don’t waste their time in unproductive thoughts or fanciful musing. They don’t worry whether other people are able to read thoughts, they don’t pay too much attention to astrology, they don’t think that terrible thoughts about a person can affect that person, they don’t believe that the moon or the stars can affect people’s thinking, they ignore tales about ghosts and have little interest in goo-luck charms, crystals, rabbits’ feet, flying saucers, palm readers and fortune tellers. Superachievers think constructively and, as a result, they act constructively. Their levels of thinking determine their levels of success.

How to THINK Like A Superachiever

The kind of thoughts that lead to success levels similar to those of the Superachievers described in this survey are predominately shaped by the experiential mind. Although these thoughts can be understood by everyone through book learning, they can’t be translated into action skills through study, only through experiences. Since our thoughts lead us to experiences that are consistent with our thinking, the first step to new learning begins with seeking out experiences that stimulate new ways of thinking and better ways of functioning.

Superachievers tend to embrace new experiences more eagerly than Average Achievers, they leave their comfort zones more willingly and, as a result, become more familiar with the process of growing than others do. They also view the anxiety or pain involved in new challenges as a small price to pay compared to the new levels of success they enjoy in return. Superachiever thinking can be learned; however, the process takes time, patience, skillful mentoring and persistence. Below are five suggestions for seeking out the kind of experiences that lead to Superachiever thinking. Dr. Epstein is currently writing a book on his research on constructive thinking and has agreed to share additional insights on how to improve constructive thinking skills in a future issue of Personal Selling Power.

1. Find role models or mentors to help you grow.

Become more assertive in seeking advice from higher level people than you are use to. Superachievers tend to find the best available mentors throughout all stages of life. They value their own growth too much to be deterred by fears of possible rejection. There are many more people in high places willing to give advice than there are people actively seeking advice.

2. Don’t "should" at yourself – remove the psychological bullets from your vocabulary.

To practice a new way of thinking, begin by practicing a new way of talking to yourself. Superachievers develop the capacity to put their thoughts into a psychologically helpful, rather than harmful, perspective. For example, when faced with a negative situation they may respond with "Oh, that’s inconvenient," instead of personalizing the situation by blaming themselves for falling short like "I should have done a better job!" or "I should be doing much better."

3. Increase your mental "navigation" skills.

Superachievers navigate through mental, social or organizational mazes with astonishing ease. They respond to situations in more effective ways than Average Achievers. One of the keys to increasing mental navigation skills is to use imagination as an experiential form of thinking. Begin imagining new possibilities, new ways of acting, new ways of overcoming obstacles or roadblocks. It is important that we use imagination constructively so it will enhance our ability to deal with situations. However, if we overinvest in fantasy, it can turn against us. When things don’t turn out the say we imagined, it is good to remember that we’re just dealing with mental possibilities, not with reality. Imagination and fantasy are mental games. As with any game, we can assign a value to the bets we place on the outcome. Superachievers handle emotional investments in fantasy more carefully than Average Achievers. Superachievers invest Monopoly money where Average Achievers use real currency. Harnessing the powers of the imagination begins with avoiding heavy betting on the outcome of our dreams. It is the best protection against suffering disappointment.

4. Test the realities of your thinking.

Superachievers play mental detective, constantly searching for clues and evidence leading to reality. The less we think in rigid categories, the easier it is for us to perceive opportunities, the less we harbor superstitious thoughts, the better we can prepare and plan our future, the fewer naive thoughts we allow to cloud our judgment, the more effectively we begin to function.

Average Achievers are often unable to put things in perspective because their protective and unrealistic thoughts stand in the way of seeing things objectively.

5. Face difficulties and enjoy growth.

Accept the fact that in order to grow, we must face difficult experiences. Superachievers accept the challenges of growing as necessary and inevitable. They know intuitively how their experiential mind works and seek out experiences that enhance their growth. Yet, they are not afraid to say "No" to challenges that are beyond their capacities to handle.

In their business interactions, Superachievers appear to be more sensitive to other people’s needs.