I have the template for what I call an “SOS” mentality: the psychological skill set to Strive, Overcome, and Succeed. I label the skill set the Seven Deadly Wins—seven core principles of psychopathy that, apportioned judiciously and applied with due care and attention, can help us get exactly what we want; can help us respond, rather than react, to the challenges of modern-day living; can transform our outlook from victim to victor, but without turning us into a villain:
1. Ruthlessness
2. Charm
3. Focus
4. Mental toughness
5. Fearlessness
6. Mindfulness
7. Action
Without a shadow of a doubt, the power of the skill set lay squarely in its application. Certain situations would inevitably call for more of some traits than others, while within those sets of circumstance, some sub-situations, going back to our trusty mixing desk analogy, would plausibly demand higher or lower output levels of whichever traits were selected. Cranking up the ruthlessness, mental toughness, and action dials, for instance, might make you more assertive—might earn you more respect among your work colleagues. But ratchet them up too high and you risk morphing into a tyrant.
- The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success by Kevin Dutton