The Formula

But if we come to competition assuming equal footing, we’re far more likely to succeed. Remember how Pierre Azoulay found that an

In other words, it’s performance and ambition—where she thinks she belongs—that determine your daughter’s success.

While the results are unequivocal that confidence and self-belief play a huge role in success, they have to match strong performance.

Previous success × fitness = future success.

That means that we have a better chance of successfully competing with superstars if we see them as unthreatening as they see us.

Your success isn’t about you and your performance. It’s about us and how we perceive your performance.

Not because they’re more creative during this burst of activity. They succeed because they try more often. It just so happens that for most

and impact if you hope to make a difference in virtually any field. These success measures all have one thing in common: they are external, not internal; collective, not individual.

But the engine that makes these hubs or superstars is preferential attachment—success breeds success.