"Most People Don't Want to Succeed, But You Should"

1. The Difficulty of Success and the Reality of Entrepreneurship

• The video begins by discussing how difficult success is, and what challenges people with an entrepreneurial spirit face.

• Using book publishing as an example, it explains how low the odds of success are.

  • "Writing a book itself is nearly impossible, and finding a publisher is even harder. Even if you succeed in publishing, you only receive 8% in royalties. The remaining 92% goes to sales, marketing, and distribution."
  • The same applies to starting a business. There are countless obstacles in the process of creating and selling a product.

• The Relationship Between Product Development and the Market

  • "Building a product first and then putting it on the market is likely to fail. Because while you know how to build a product, you don't know how to market it, sell it, advertise it, or communicate about it. More importantly, you don't even know if people will use it."
  • Successful companies communicate continuously with customers and develop products that customers want.
  • "The idea that if you build a better product, people will come is a fantasy. You need to first verify whether people actually want your 'cool thing.'"

2. People Want to Avoid Failure, Not Achieve Success

• One of the video's key messages is that most people don't actually want to succeed.

  • "People don't want to succeed. They just don't want to fail. It's not 'I want to succeed' but rather 'I want to stay unnoticed and live quietly' that is people's real motivation."
  • This connects to humanity's basic survival instinct.

• The 'Zebra Story' and Human Nature

  • A zebra's stripes are not for camouflage but for hiding within the herd.
  • "When researchers try to observe a single zebra, if they look away for a moment they think, 'Which zebra was it?' The stripes make it difficult to distinguish one zebra from another within the herd."
  • When researchers marked a specific zebra with a red dot, that zebra immediately became a target for lions.
  • "Lions don't hunt the entire herd. They can only begin hunting when they single out a specific target. That's why zebras try to hide within the herd."

• Humans Are the Same

  • "People try to stay at the center of the herd. The center of the herd is safe. Those on the outside become 'prey.'"
  • "People don't aim for success. They just want to remain unnoticed and safe within the herd."

3. Human Motivation: Avoiding Pain Takes Priority Over Pursuing Happiness

• People are more strongly motivated to avoid pain than to pursue happiness.

  • "When people say 'I want to be happy,' what they really mean is 'I want to not be anxious or in pain.'"
  • In psychological research, happiness is often associated with emotional stability (reduced anxiety).
  • "People don't want to be vibrant and full of laughter so much as they simply want to avoid pain."

• The Danger of Standing Out

  • "Standing out is dangerous. If you stand out, you might succeed, but at the same time the possibility of failure or being attacked also increases."
  • This explains why people want to stay within the herd for safety.

4. If You Want to Succeed, You Must Leave the Herd

• The video emphasizes that if you want success, you must leave the herd.

  • "Staying within the herd is safe, but success happens outside the herd."
  • However, this also means you must be willing to take risks.
  • "People are afraid of failure, so they avoid trying new things or doing anything that makes them stand out. But success becomes possible when you overcome that fear."

• Strategies for Success

  • "Rather than telling people 'this product will make you succeed,' saying 'this product will keep you from failing' is more effective."
  • This is because people are more motivated by avoiding failure than by achieving success.

5. Conclusion: If You Want to Succeed, Be Willing to Take Risks

• The video clearly explains how difficult success is and why people fear it.

  • "People don't want to succeed. They just don't want to fail. But if you want to succeed, you must leave the herd."
  • "Standing out is dangerous, but success becomes possible when you take that risk."

• Lessons to Remember

  • "Hiding in the herd like a zebra is safe, but success happens outside the herd."
  • "People tend to avoid pain rather than pursue happiness. But true success becomes possible when you endure the pain and embrace the risk."

Key Terms

• Success
• Failure Avoidance
• Entrepreneurship
• Herd Instinct
• Risk-Taking
• Zebra Story
• Pain Avoidance

This video goes beyond simply talking about the difficulty of success, deeply exploring human nature and motivation, and providing insight into what attitude we need to adopt for success. "If you want to succeed, leave the herd." This message resonates powerfully.