What Steve Jobs, Picasso and Sir Stamford Raffles Had In Common- And I Stole It!

Jogging by the river in Singapore last week, I stumbled upon the statue of the ‘founder’ of Singapore Sir Stamford Raffles, being freshly painted. It reminded me of something I stole from him once- and something I want you to steal from me. Seriously. Here it is. Take it. Some dispute that Sir (Thomas) Stamford Raffles actually founded Singapore, but it’s a moot point. He had a vision for what this small fishing port could become, set the path, and went on to achieve much in his short life. He died aged 46. But here’s the thing- most of Raffles’ ideas were not his own. Neither, according to the recent biography “Raffles and The Golden Opportunity”, were his ‘discoveries and his enthusiasms.’ You see- Raffles had a crystal ball apparently, and could see what built the success of both Pablo Picasso and Steve Jobs. Quite simply, Raffles built his success on one critical habit.