Why little is sufficient

Ever wondered why folks with fewer resources snatch success while the resourceful lag behind? Yeah, the same rags to riches story…but why is it repeated so often?

Is there anything we’re missing from this unexpected success? No, willpower alone can’t be the driving force.

I argue that folks succeed despite having fewer resources because they focus their energies on the root and weed out the dead-wood. The other side, folks who’re convinced that a rich variety of resources are in their reach tend to be careless, and consequently they don’t rouse themselves to grab out the very best from inside them.

I’m reminded of a Hollywood movie scene. The villain sprays hundreds of bullets towards the hero, but he doesn’t return even a single gunshot. When the villain’s bullets get exhausted, the hero quietly steps out, aims at his opponent, fires the only bullet he had, and kills him.

The lesson?

The hero had only one bullet, but he knew how to utilise it in the best way.

In the same way, those who have fewer resources, are naturally convinced that they’re responsible to make the best of whatever little they possess, and therefore they centre all their powers at their work. The results are therefore more heart-warming.

A person who has to return the book to the library, for instance, is convinced that he might not have the luxury of laying his hands on the book again. He penetrates the content with x-ray eyes, notes down the important points, and goes through the book like a thirsty searches the water.

Compare this person with him who has a bunch of books on the same subject lying on his table. This person is convinced about the luxury of time/availability, of the variety of choice at his disposal, and both these luxuries (of availability and of choice) paradoxically work against him.

How?

When he picks up one book, he knows that he can read the same material however many times he wishes to, and therefore he pays it inadequate attention. He also knows that there’re a bunch of books on the same subject in his easy reach, and this luxury of choice, at the slightest boredom or difficulty, prompts him to put that book down and skim over other books.

The same rule, with more or less the same intensity, is predominant in all the fields. It’s because of this reason why less is often more and why more is often less. It’s perhaps because of this reason why the less resourceful climb up the success ladder and the resourceful ones end as runner-ups.