Harvard Study Reveals 3 Traits of High Achievers-Do You Have Them?
This week, I’m diving into what personality traits create winners, losers, and true champions in sports and business.
Is it charm? Confidence? Intelligence? While all of these traits might make a difference, three University studies suggests that three little known personality traits mightbe the odd and unexpected driver of success. Do you have them? More importantly… do you want them?
Something Funny
Interesting: The Unusual Triple Threat Formula Revealed
Entrepreneur Alex Hormozi and Chris Williamson shared a surprising study on a podcast that that sent me down a rabbit hole of research to find out if this conclusion was true. They mentioned a study that suggested some of the most ultra-successful people like Michael Jorden, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump share three personality traits.
- A superiority complex
- Overwhelming insecurity
- Impulse control
At first glance, these traits seem almost negative in nature. If not negative, not desirable for happiness and contentment. But together, the studies make an argument they are the secret recipe for overcoming failure, persistence, and giving a human that extra motivation to keep going when others would give up. The study claim the three mixed together make unstoppable force—one that drives individuals to push through obstacles and achieve extraordinary things
Michael Jordan’s story is the perfect example of a Triple ThreatWinning Personality in action.
As a sophomore in high school, Jordan was cut from the varsity basketball team. Instead of giving up, he turned his disappointment into fuel. He practiced relentlessly, waking up at 5 AM to train, shooting hundreds of baskets every day. His insecurity about not being “good enough” became the fire that pushed him to work harder than anyone else.
This connects directly to the three traits of highly successful people:
Impulse Control – He had the discipline to practice endlessly, resist distractions, and stay focused on his ultimate goal.
Superiority Complex – Jordan always believed he was meant to be great. Even when others doubted him, he saw himself as a champion before he ever became one.
Overwhelming Insecurity – That early rejection stuck with him, but instead of letting it break him, he used it to push himself further.
The Downside: The Cost of Contentment
The very traits that make someone wildly successful can also make them chronically dissatisfied. A superiority complex means you’re always chasing more, often feeling like what you have isn’t enough. Insecurity can push you forward, but it can also create anxiety and a sense of never being good enough. Extreme impulse control might help you achieve your goals, but it can suppress spontaneity, joy, and deep personal relationships. Since the book is not out yet… perhaps this short video will give a glimpse into the solution to this dilemma to stay motivated without being full of anxiety and fear.
Watch short video https://www.instagram.com/p/C9NAMHTJc3M/
Do rats move faster toward cheese or away from a cat?
Another study found that starving rats would move towards cheese with a ton of effort. They want the cheese. When a cat’s scent was introduced from behind the mice, signaling imminent danger, the rats found that extra gear of motivation and moved pulled even harder away from the cat. Their fear was much more motivating than the desire for what they wanted. It seems safety trumps hunger in their little mice brains.
The lesson? Success isn’t just about moving toward your dreams; it’s about recognizing and harnessing the fears & emotion that you will work harder to move away from.
I know we don’t have little mice brains making our decisions… but think about how this applies to you and what actually motivates you to get up at 6am, do 5 more reps in the gym, or suffer the possibility of humiliation by giving that speech or talking to that pretty girl (or guy.). Are you more motivated to get what you want or avoid what you hate?
The Good News About This Study
When I heard this, I thought “This can’t be true.” If people have to live with a crippling insecurity and arrogance to be successful… they would be intolerable to live with and definitely not be happy most of the time. There must be some flaw in this study. And, I was right. After a deep dive into the other University studies… they disproved this theory. I think my deep dive into this theory will be fascinating for you to read in chapter 3 and chapter 12 of my upcoming book, Happy Wealthy Mind. I don’t mean to tease you, but it’s impossible to summarize 50 pages of research. The good news is that you don’t have to program these bad traits to motivate yourself to be a winner
Quote of the Day
“Your personality isn’t fixed—it’s a set of habits you reinforce daily. Personality Traits can be changed. You are not stuck with yesterday’s baggage”
– Bart Baggett
Action Items
If you want to cultivate a Winning Personality, try these three simple exercises:
- Analyze Your Unconscious Mind – Take an inventory of your personality traits that might be holding you back. Anything that makes your heart beat rise or angers you is based on a trigger and emotional reaction. What makes you angry or highly motivated to do something now? That is an unconscious pattern…sometimes called a personality trait.
- Free Resource – Identify one fear that’s holding you back. This course I published provides an overview of the 30 key personality traits found in your own handwriting. It’s just 8 lessons and you might find something about yourself you didn’t know before. https://handwritinguniversity.com/freecourse/
- Train Your Impulse Control – Use the 4-7-8 breathing technique whenever you’re about to make a rash decision. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, and exhale for 8. This simple trick activates your brain’s logic center and curbs impulsive actions. The ability to delay gratification is one of the key habits wealthy people have that unhealthy and poor people do not. Practice it with food, TV shows, and spending on anything this week. Delay it one hour, one day, one week. Build that muscle of delayed gratification… your bank account will thank you in 3 years.
A Final Thought
If you’re ready to dive deeper, join our new Life Design Academy community. I have filled it with some of my best-selling courses and decided to just give them away to my readers. Zero $0. Yep. Gratis. Jump in and engage with the community.
https://www.skool.com/happywealthymind <– Register now.
To your success,
Bart Baggett
Author of Happy Wealthy Mind, The Magic Question, Success Secrets of the Rich & Happy and Founder of the Life Design Academy