2 min read

Failure is Not the Mother of All Success Pt. 1

This week we will delve into the book "The Formula: The Universal Laws of Success" by Albert-László Barabási, where he argues success depends on strategically positioning oneself within social networks, following identifiable patterns.

He introduces 5 laws for success. Here is the most iconic one:

In the 3rd law, he defines this formula:

Previous success * fitness = future success

Mátyás Környei on LinkedIn further elaborates on this concept. He defines the concept of "fitness" as

  • Quality
  • Performance
  • Awardability

He mentions:

success breads success, but "awardability" also plays a role and is a requirement for driving future success. Good remarks can lead to further good remarks.

Herbert Lin from Medium also relates this concept to real life examples:

  • When the queue in front of a stall is empty, suddenly, the first customer came. Then, more and more customers start to form a queue, attracting even more customers This is why previous success is important.
  • To run a business long-term, you would need to attract customers (previous success), and keep them coming by offering good value (fitness).

As the old saying goes, "Failure is the Mother of All Success". This is not always true.

Success is like rolling a snowball. When you first experience success, your snowball starts rolling. And it gets bigger and bigger as the previous success brings in more success. Meanwhile failure will prevent the snowball from forming.

"Bad remarks cannot bury exceptional performance and quality, which by gaining some good remarks as new preferential attachment can rise back to the top"

Success is what grants you the confidence and determination to continue your journey on the path of success.


Now you know that success is important for further achievements. But how do you obtain your first success/customer? Stay tuned for next week's newsletter!