WILLIAM JAMES’S LIFE sucked. As a child, he faced debilitating health issues – constant vomiting, blindness in one eye and hideous back spasms.
His siblings were brilliant goody-two-shoes-show-offs, and all William could do is look at them with envy.
William’s Dad, through his connections, managed to get him into Harvard Medical School.
William HATED it. He felt he hadn’t earned his place, and he just didn’t fit in.
He dropped out.
Weirdly, then, he joined an anthropological expedition to the Amazon.
A desperate move by a desperate man. On day one of the expedition, he broke out in smallpox – which was usually a death sentence in the 1860s. William survived… barely.
He managed to get all the way back to New England and he definitely earned the title of ‘black sheep of the family’.He got pretty close to taking his own life… but in an instant, he altered his trajectory.
Inspired by philosopher, Charles Pierce, James went onto spend the next year believing that he was 100% responsible for EVERY event occurring in his life. He donned that huge hat of personal responsibility that is usually too heavy for mere mortals to bear.
And, with that… he turned his life around.
William James is now recognised as the ‘father of modern psychology’. He’s regarded as one of the most influential people of all time. He even went on to teach at Harvard. He discovered true lasting happiness
Fun fact: One of his 5 children, Henry, became a famous biographer.
William James accredits ALL of his success to his re-birth. By taking responsibility for EVERYTHING that occurred in his life, he changed the very direction of his life.
So… what’s happening in your life that you can take responsibility for? Everything?
Well… that’s the right answer.
Stepping up and taking responsibility lies in the blind spot for so many traders. People don’t just magically become great traders. Perhaps, just perhaps, there are some lessons in this story for you?
