Mr.SAKURADA

Lately, I've noticed a strange pattern whenever I walk into a bookstore.

"People Who Wake Up at 4 A.M. Are More Successful."

"People Who Lift Weights Are More Successful."

"People Who Read Books Are More Successful."

"People Who Take Notes Are More Successful."

"People Who Clean Toilets Are More Successful."

At some point, it seems society became obsessed with taking random behaviors of successful people and turning them into books titled:

"People Who Do X Become More Successful."

If that's the game we're playing, then surely we can also write:

"People Who Touch Their Balls Are More Successful."

After all, I'd wager that 99% of successful men have touched their balls at least once in their lives.

That means:

- CEOs touch their balls.

- Doctors touch their balls.

- Lawyers touch their balls.

- Professional soccer players touch their balls.

Therefore:

Successful people have a habit of touching their balls.

The crucial detail is that there's a logical gap roughly the size of several hundred Tokyo Domes between "successful people touch their balls" and "touching your balls makes you successful."

Yet that gap is exactly where the self-help industry loves to operate.

If successful people keep houseplants, we get:

"People Who Keep Houseplants Are More Successful."

If successful people drink coffee:

"People Who Drink Coffee Are More Successful."

If successful people scratch their noses:

"People Who Scratch Their Noses Are More Successful."

At this rate, if someone counted the average breathing frequency of successful people, we might soon see:

"People Who Breathe Are More Successful."

To be fair, waking up early, exercising, and reading can absolutely be beneficial.

But the relationship between those habits and success varies enormously from person to person. The causal chain is rarely simple.

Nevertheless, these ideas are often marketed as if the message were:

"Copy this behavior and you, too, can become successful."

People dislike uncertainty.

So instead of confronting the enormous roles played by luck, talent, environment, timing, and chance, we seek comfort in the habits of successful people.

The truth may be that successful people didn't succeed because they woke up at 4 A.M.

It may be that they were the kind of people capable of waking up at 4 A.M. because of the traits that helped them succeed in the first place.

But that title doesn't sell books.

So bookstores continue to fill their shelves with modern-day superstitions disguised as life advice:

"People Who Do X Are More Successful."

And whenever I see them, I quietly think:

If touching your balls really led to success, I should have become a billionaire a long time ago.

People Who Touch Their Balls Are More Successful

Lately, I've noticed a strange pattern whenever I walk into a bookstore.

"People Who Wake Up at 4 A.M. Are More Successful."

"People Who Lift Weights Are More Successful."

"People Who Read Books Are More Successful."

"People Who Take Notes Are More Successful."

"People Who Clean Toilets Are More Successful."

At some point, it seems society became obsessed with taking random behaviors of successful people and turning them into books titled:

"People Who Do X Become More Successful."

If that's the game we're playing, then surely we can also write:

"People Who Touch Their Balls Are More Successful."

After all, I'd wager that 99% of successful men have touched their balls at least once in their lives.

That means:

- CEOs touch their balls.

- Doctors touch their balls.

- Lawyers touch their balls.

- Professional soccer players touch their balls.

Therefore:

Successful people have a habit of touching their balls.

The crucial detail is that there's a logical gap roughly the size of several hundred Tokyo Domes between "successful people touch their balls" and "touching your balls makes you successful."

Yet that gap is exactly where the self-help industry loves to operate.

If successful people keep houseplants, we get:

"People Who Keep Houseplants Are More Successful."

If successful people drink coffee:

"People Who Drink Coffee Are More Successful."

If successful people scratch their noses:

"People Who Scratch Their Noses Are More Successful."

At this rate, if someone counted the average breathing frequency of successful people, we might soon see:

"People Who Breathe Are More Successful."

To be fair, waking up early, exercising, and reading can absolutely be beneficial.

But the relationship between those habits and success varies enormously from person to person. The causal chain is rarely simple.

Nevertheless, these ideas are often marketed as if the message were:

"Copy this behavior and you, too, can become successful."

People dislike uncertainty.

So instead of confronting the enormous roles played by luck, talent, environment, timing, and chance, we seek comfort in the habits of successful people.

The truth may be that successful people didn't succeed because they woke up at 4 A.M.

It may be that they were the kind of people capable of waking up at 4 A.M. because of the traits that helped them succeed in the first place.

But that title doesn't sell books.

So bookstores continue to fill their shelves with modern-day superstitions disguised as life advice:

"People Who Do X Are More Successful."

And whenever I see them, I quietly think:

If touching your balls really led to success, I should have become a billionaire a long time ago.