They are not superstitious. They are not collectors. But if you look in the pocket of Elon Musk or Anna Wintour, you will probably find an ordinary paper clip.
Forbes magazine called the object “a gadget for breakthrough thinking,” and neuroscientist David Eagleman explained in his book The Runaway Species that the paperclip is a metaphor for flexibility.
Successful people use it as a reminder:
"Look for non-standard solutions."
LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman admitted in an interview with Bloomberg:
"The paperclip saved me during negotiations. Once I used it to fix a broken laptop screen before a presentation."
But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Psychologist Angela Duckworth , author of the bestseller Grit, conducted an experiment: participants who wore a paperclip were 20% more likely to find creative solutions to problems.
"It's a physical embodiment of the 'nothing is impossible' attitude," she concluded.
But there is also a practical side. Cybersecurity expert Kevin Mitnick wrote in his memoir Ghost in the Wires that a paperclip can be used to quickly open a SIM tray or even a lock.
It's not magic, it's a readiness for chaos. Interestingly, in Japan, businessmen carry paper clips of different colors: red symbolizes urgency, blue - strategy.
And Steve Jobs , according to his biographer Walter Isaacson, used a paper clip to hold wires together while testing the first Macintosh.
Want to boost your creativity? Put a paperclip in your wallet. And watch Bill Gates' hands — he knows exactly what he's doing. And if you think it's a fluke, remember the words of philosopher Nassim Taleb from his book Antifragile:
"Little things create a system that breaks stereotypes."
