You want success in anything? The Philosophy of Mimicry

In Nature (from wiki):

In evolutionary biology, mimicry, also sometimes known as mimetism[citation needed], is the similarity of one species to another which protects one or both.[1] This similarity can be in appearance, behaviour, sound, scent and location, with the mimics found in similar places to their models.[2]

Now this also applies to life. I have seen my share of success and $ by basically mimicking those around me who were already successful and had $. If someone ever got all the girls, I asked how, if someone made good $, I always asked how, if someone was always successful, I always asked how, and by mimicking them, realized that I too found myself in their positions.

In my late teens for example, I wanted to be successful in Music. So I careful studied all the top artists and learned all their intricacies, tempos, rhythms, bass lines, structures, where they engineered, who they deal with, and by doing so I was able to get into the heart of their own style, allowing me to mix and match. Soon enough, after a few years of composing, I was getting phone calls from alot of these same artists and their managers and made good money from it back then.

Later in life I wanted to work in another industry that made good $. So I probed around, asked alot of questions, phone calls, made some friends, and one day was offered a job. While there was always alot of drama and ego in the work place, I followed the advice of all the old timers who had been there for 20-30+ years (which was basically (work hard, mind your own business, and let your work do the talking and you'll move up). I mimicked the hardest working guys and took their advice and soon enough was moving up the ladder.

I have since found that mimicry apples to all aspects of life and is found as a survival mechanism in evolutionary science, and through experience it has definitely helped me in various ways in life

reply to post by dominicus


Yep. And I despise it. I'm told to "go to college, go into the military, do something with yourself, get your head out of your hindquarters".

Who am I doing that for? Me, or society? I don't think society knows what's right for itself. Everything we are mimicking is ultimately futile, because the stuff we need is stuff that money can't buy, and yet all of our philosophies revolve around money, fame, or pleasure.

The Five Boon of Life

Mark Twain's little story tells us everything we need to know about the world we live in today, and the philosophies that everyone thinks they must live by - including this mimicry thing you've shown us. All the stuff we work so hard for is stuff that eventually fades or loses its appeal. Whatever happened to the treasures of the heart? The stuff money and fame can't buy?

reply to post by AfterInfinity

Who am I doing that for? Me, or society? I don't think society knows what's right for itself. Everything we are mimicking is ultimately futile, because the stuff we need is stuff that money can't buy, and yet all of our philosophies revolve around money, fame, or pleasure.

Well even if you want to go against the grain and do your own thing, mimicry still applies. Say you want spiritual enlightenment, applies there. Or to be the next revolutionary, applies there as well.

Hey, even if you want to be a successful author like Twain and be a social commentator like Twain, you can still use this Philosophy

I do it shamelessly and have for years.
Whether it be music,Martial Arts,Photography or any number of other interests I have I have become extremely
proficiant in everything I set my mind to and in a very short time, all by mimicing or as I call it, shamelessly copying.

People are often amazed at how I have attained a certain level of mastery in such a short time, subjects that take most people a lifetime to achieve even modest success.

Not TRYING to brag but It aint braggin if it's true.


I watch people who I consider to be masters in their respective fields and I shamelessly copy until I can repeat the results at will. After a while I branch out and earn the freedom to experiment until I find a style of my own.

Currently I am doing this with photography.
Once I get bored with this, I'll move on to something else.

Interesting thread.
Glad to see I am not the only one who has discovered this little gem of a philosophy.

I look at this world I live in and I see way too much mimicry, some can call them sheople if they want.

I dared to be different and got nowhere in life, but of course my ADD certainly doesn't help.

Ahhh, never mind, if I did not have to overcome the robber baron of life called ADD, I'd focus, I'd mimic, do my own thing and brag about myself while I stuck my chest out and beat it.

I envy those of you who can maintain focus, have clear goals, good executive function and work it 'till completion without getting cripplingly bored because of a lack of dopamine and epinephrine in the brain which keeps me always searching for the new thing that's going to bring my chemicals up to normal people level, while I forget about the old thing, while I fight boredom constantly.

Perhaps when I get my medication I can try this mimicry thing you speak of, until then it just ain't happening.

Me, I am a know it all, but a master of none of it, but the world wants specialists, not generalists, that's where I fail.
If you wish to know a little bit about anything, I'm your guy.

If you can copy others and learn off of them and be successful, I envy you.

I'll just be me, spin my tires and choke on the smoke.

reply to post by Toadmund


Dude, I don't know who you think you're talking to but it sounds to me like you are having a pity party.

I have a scorching case of ADD. During this reply I will probably open a new window and check my email,check the weather forcast, edit a photo, stare into space for at least 2 mins, and go to the fridge and look for somethnig to eat.

Try growing up with ADD before there was a such thing as ADD so no one knows WTF is wrong with you.

In fact, it is prescisely the reason I have so many interests that fascinate me.
I grow bored quickly. Especially after I have reached a certain level of proficiency with something.
I am unable to learn things unless I am totally fascinated by it.
Once I find something that fascinates me though, I become addicted to learning every nuance of it until I have a proficient understanding of it and can hold my own against so called masters.

Even still, I find myself watching youtube videos on Photography tutorials and then I'll grab my guitar and start writing a song, only to quit halfway thru and go work out.

If I had more focus I would be a very one dimensional person who knew ONE THING very well.
I would much rather know a little and sometimes ALOT about ALOT of different things.
Embrace it.
Go with it.
People with focus are missing out on a whole lot of life.

Before you get too down on yourself for not being a goal setter let me share this little nugget with you.
I'm not a goal setter either and often mock those who are. It is beyond me how people function that way.
I try to remember that sometimes it isn't about the end goal but rather the journey along the way.
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A young boy traveled across Japan to the school of a famous martial artist. When he arrived at the dojo he was given an audience by the sensei.

What do you wish from me? the master asked.

I wish to be your student and be the finest karateka in the land, the boy replied. How long must I study?

Ten years at least, the master answered.

Ten years is a long time, said the boy. What if I studied twice as hard as all your other students?

Twenty years, replied the master.

Twenty years! What if I practice day and night with all my effort?

Thirty years, was the master’s reply.

How is it that each time I say I will work harder, you tell me that it will take longer? the boy asked.

The answer is clear. When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the way.

I have to compliment you [and screwed also] for your candour.

I feel both of you are placing too much emphasis on mimicking/copying what the the successful do because what is apparent in both of you is drive.

You can't apply any approach properly with out that desire to want it enough and the drive to see it through.

You can't become an expert in something by just doing what others do. You would need to be clever enough to see what aspects of their approach are what counts and why it works along with the understanding to apply these methods yourself to how you work.

When you say you wanted what they had so did what they did I think you're downplaying how vital wanting it is.

Isn't that what you have to have to make it work.your key to success along with your method.

It also depends how you define success.For me (playing guitar and modifying cars/tuning engines are my main passions) it was the love of it and that drove the need to go right into it,learn and understand as fully as I could to the point of true mastery,hopefully but I have to learn things my own way though.

For me its about fully enjoying the things that I love and any reward or respect I gain from it is great but not what matters to me.

I still think passion or desire is truly necessary to give you the drive you to succeed.The method you employ to reach whatever results you feel count as success is irrelevant without the drive.

reply to post by dominicus


It only applies if I'm doing it because someone else is doing it. I do it FOR MYSELF. No one else. Until the day I figure out how to heal the world, I will continue doing this for myself, because if I join in the chess game, I'll just get sacrificed to further someone else's agenda. And when I'm dead and gone, I lose my chance to make the difference I want to see.

So I gotta do it while I'm still kicking. And mimicry has only shown me the futility of the chess game. No thanks.

Originally posted by Screwed
reply to post by Toadmund

 

If I had more focus I would be a very one dimensional person who knew ONE THING very well.
I would much rather know a little and sometimes ALOT about ALOT of different things.
Embrace it.
Go with it.
People with focus are missing out on a whole lot of life.

Before you get too down on yourself for not being a goal setter let me share this little nugget with you.
I'm not a goal setter either and often mock those who are. It is beyond me how people function that way.
I try to remember that sometimes it isn't about the end goal but rather the journey along the way.

I just wish that I could specialize in something and not get bored to tears with it. I could make a career with it and life would feel more secure.
I am good at things that interest me, unfortunately they don't make me money. I can devour information like a sponge when my interest is still high on a certain topic, then boredom strikes, on to the next thing, or back again full circle to an old interest. It's great knowing so much about a lot of things.
It really makes me wonder how it feels to not get bored of a single hobby, and even make it your bread and butter, I envy those people even though some of them are one dimensional.

The lack of focus part, I agree, broadens us, but sometimes a bit too thin.

PS, I am not really that down on myself, just the subject matter made me want to vent my frustrations.
And I am 43 years old and was diagnosed ADD-NOS not long ago.
So yes I was ADD before it was recognized, or at least when awareness was increasing.

reply to post by AfterInfinity

It only applies if I'm doing it because someone else is doing it. I do it FOR MYSELF.

Therein lays the technicality. Doing anything "FOR MYSELF" is also mimicking the billions who do and justify doing all sorts of things for themselves.

Until the day I figure out how to heal the world, I will continue doing this for myself

I personally believe, peace, love, contentment, and healing come from Spiritual Enlightenment. I have had GIANT mystical experiences by mimicking the teachings and behaviors of Christ and Buddha.

because if I join in the chess game, I'll just get sacrificed to further someone else's agenda. And when I'm dead and gone, I lose my chance to make the difference I want to see.

We're all here, plugged into the matrix, and part of the chess game .....if you need to eat, you need $, which means you need to work, which means your in the system. So in any case, whether you like it or not, you will end up studying those that break free of this system, and either consciously, or subconsciously, take from them pieces which you can use.

So I gotta do it while I'm still kicking. And mimicry has only shown me the futility of the chess game. No thanks.

I see the only way out as Enlightenment, for that which you speak of. I found out looooong time ago the emptiness in achievements and insatiability of drive. But you know what, I still gotta eat, help family members, and friends, and $ really does help fund time to write novels and study philosophies and travel the world speaking with minds that daily wrestle with exactly what your talking about.

Detachment plays a vital role in many ways

reply to post by dominicus


My view on this is simple i think. Firstly there is nothing new under the sun. Everything has been done before only it gets redressed and repackaged to make it more palatable with the contempory views. Secondarly if something works well and is easy to mimic, perform or carry out to achieve a predictable successful result why change it. Thats it really, just keep a mimic cry system as simple as possible.

I rely heavily on my natural instincts of mimickry, for absorbing skills, and for empathizing.

I realize that we all have a certain amount of individual drive and want to do or create veyr individualized expressions, but I feel that skills have to be attained first, and it is helpful to pick up other peoples various styles first too.

I had to learn another language and culture by ear, and frankly, if I didn't trust my mirror neurons so much I never could have done it! It takes some ability to put your controlling, intellectual, individual mind aside and "let go" to less thought in order to learn this way.

It's important to spend time around the people you wish to absorb from, but also to then spend time away from them, so that you integrate the skills, habits or whatever.

reply to post by Bluesma


I like the city of france. Them hubs or ports are cool. The round abouts work back to front i have to give way to people entrying roundabout. That shopping street that overlooks arch so classy. You want success in anything then need to make sure you understand the road rules, the transport and have a wallet of money. If in a foreign land.

I have no desire to be like anyone but myself.

Have fun copying people your whole life.

I read the title and completely thought of something else. So on that basis I will make my reply, and I apologize if I missed the point.

When I read about mimicry in the title, I was thinking about the concept of "faking it until you make it" form of psychology. For example; raising moods when depressed by forcing the mouth into a smile via a pencil in the mouth, or standing in a "victory" pose for two minutes to induce a sense of self-confidence, or variations of the theme in psychological mimicry.

The concept of mimicry from a NLP perspective is very interesting since the body cannot tell the difference between imagination, memory, or the actual event. Then there's the mirror neurons that respond to visual stimulation of actions done by other human beings in front of them.

Any who, in this context of mirroring the successful is also an interesting concept. What does one consider successful? Does money actually buy happiness? There was an article that I read a while back that said buying of experiences and not creature comforts produced the highest amounts of happiness and a "fulfilled" life.

Though it slightly baffles me why some of the human race are so against conformity. The Human Race is a social species, and conformity is a biological imperative for the survival of the species. So I would imagine the rebellion against societal norms being a sort of push for "alpha" dominance? Or would it be a kind of "feeling out" one's place in the world?

Or course on Economic terms, mimicry can also saturate the market and reduce the perceived value of the mimicked goods or services. Then again if pop music is any indication of mimicry, I could be very gravely wrong.

Though this gets me thinking. If mimicking the successful and powerful leads to success in its own way, then could that be a paradigm shift in the mind? Beliefs dictate our actions, so if we start mimicking the successful we are taking on the physiological and mental processes that produced that success. The belief that such things are possible would change the Critical Factor's screening process and allow more pertinent data to pass and become imperative for the mind's consideration. Allowing more and more changes in one's perception based on the new sense of mimicking and Critical Factor's change in screening preferences, would the fundamental beliefs of the individual also change as a result? Much like wanting to buy a blue shirt and not finding it anywhere, but upon purchase noticing blue shirts everywhere? Then when you become successful, would you only see success around you and no longer relate to those individuals unsuccessful?

- The Grigori

reply to post by corvuscorrax

I have no desire to be like anyone but myself.

Have fun copying people your whole life.

U missed my point big time!!!!!

Its funny because you yourself have mimicked your whole life, even when not aware of it.

If i studied the compositions of mozart, and how to play, and compose, like he did, I know have gained his ability, but am still me. If I gain a business savvy from studying/mimicking trump, that's another ability gained, but I am still me. Even with enlightenment, I can mimic the masters before me, gain certain proficiency, but I am still me.

Regardless, it happens in nature, and subconsciously in society. Doing this consciously is what the name of the game is.

Shoot id bet a crisp new hundo that the clothes u wear and music you prefer are based on a certain level of subconscious mimicry

reply to post by Grigori


I guess the way I read it is refering to the natural instinct of mimickry- the way a baby will smile when looking at someone who smiles, for example. The way behaviors, movements, can be contagious without us doing so on purpose- sometimes without even being aware of it.

Like I only have to spend a few minutes with someone before I start speaking with the same accent as them. It is embarrassing, and I try to stop it, because people think I am mocking them.... but the truth is, it is subconsciously stimulated.

Trying to learn another language, it became helpful because trying to translate word for word from one language to another becomes way too slow- you cannot keep up with any conversation that way. Instead, letting my natural instincts come in, I will start to have sayings and words come from me without my thinking about it- they come more from a vague sense of meaning that I have picked up hearing it them from others.

My particular sport that I practice is horseback riding, and when I observe someone else riding for a while, I can get a sense in my body for their style or methods, and find myself doing the same afterwards.

Success, in my mind, is relative to intent- if someone has set out with a certain goal in mind and was able to achieve it, then they were successful. They found effective methods. So I benefit from learning their methods if I have the same goals.

I think it is admirable to want to be "original".... I do too. I suspect it is part of our deeper draw to advancement of our race as a collective- we advance when someone invents.

BUT

I think that you have to build upon what has already been discovered, most of the time. Too many people waste their life doing things in a way that is original, but is ineffective.

Or they take the same old methods that have been done for centuries and put different names on it to make it sound original and make money..... but that is just fooling yourself and others.

reply to post by dominicus

I think you have discovered the "secret" of Attraction. Want to have money? then learn the Nature of money, and the Nature of people who have and manage to keep it. Want Love? Again, understand the Nature of Love.

reply to post by Bluesma


That makes sense. It sounds like you are talking about the mirror neurons for the horse back riding analogy.

When I think about being original, I always like to remind myself that somewhere, someplace, I'm not original. So I want to take the collective knowledge that's gained as a species and see how I can apply that to my life. If that makes me original, fantastic. If it doesn't, well at least I'm living my life how I want to live it.

This sounds like another way of speaking about the Law of Attraction.
You are what you attract.

Most importantly, the only way to be yourself to your full potential is to be happy - that is the indicator that you are being you. And if this makes you happy, great.