Want To Be Successful? Change Your Last Name.

Hi,

What follows is seriously funny.
A friend send me this with the following comment:
"We often forget about subliminal impression our names, aliases and sigs make on people (and ourselves)."
-------------------------
Reports claim people with surnames beginning with a letter in the first half
of the alphabet are more likely to be successful.
The problem has been traced back to childhood, when school lists and classroom
seating arrangements are often determined alphabetically.
The report claims people who continuously see their names at the bottom of a
list can suffer from low self-esteem.
The world's five richest people - Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Paul Allen, Larry
Ellison and Karl Allbrecht - are have surnames near the top of the alphabet.
Of the British Prime Ministers elected in the 20th century, only Margaret
Thatcher and Harold Wilson had surnames starting A to M.
All the Spice Girls, three of the four Beatles, and six of the seven G7 heads of
government all follow the rule.
The trend is explained in this week's edition of The Economist.
Economics editor Pam Woodhall says pupils with surnames at the end of alphabet
aren't questioned as much by teachers because they're sat near the back of the
class.
She said: "The humiliation continues ... at university graduations, shortlists
for job interviews, election ballot papers, lists of conference speakers: all
tend to be drawn up alphabetically."
The paper quotes psychologist Richard Wiseman saying a high alphabet listing
boosts people's confidence.
--------------------------

Hello Simon

As a Certified Master Handwriting Analyst, I found your post very interesting and went to read the article in the Economist. I must say that it does make sense from the psychological point of view.

As you rightly mentioned, these childhood conditionings become subliminal and our handwriting is no different.

"Personality reveals itself in all human expression, but especially in the infinitely fine movements of the hand as it guides the pen..."

I would therefore be most interesting to compare this surname theory with a person's handwriting.

Handwriting can reveal more about a person than he may know himself, which is why it is used by corporate companies in the hiring process, for jury services and for personal improvement and compatibility, etc.

So, what I was wondering is whether those who fall in the first half of the alphabet have the desired traits for success and whether those who fall in the latter half of the alphabet lack the desired traits for success.

Perhaps those interested would like to look for the following traits in their own handwriting in relation to their surname...

A low self-esteem:
The position of the T-bar cross.

Writers who place their t-bars near the top or at the top of the stem have more self-confidence and self-esteem than do writers who cross their t-bars lower down on the stem. Confidence wins in the long-term. He directs his ambitions towards the future and will even forego short-term benefits for long-term rewards. A positive success trait to possess. If the t-bar is out of touch with the stem (floating above) the writer will tend to only dream about completing the goals he sets. This is usually because his goals are too unrealistic to accomplish.

The writer with a T-bar cross placed low on the stem is not a risk taker! The writer may miss opportunities because he does not demand enough of himself. He may set his goals too low for his own innate abilities. As he usually anticipates failure he prefers to stay within safe boundaries setting his goals in a security-minded manner.

Some other success traits...

Enthusiasm:
Shown by a long T-bat cross.

Tenacity:
Shown by final hooks on letters and words.

Persistence:
Shown by tied strokes in the three letter zones.

Initiative:
The t-bar cross is replaced by a stroke that starts at the bottom of the stem and breaks away in an upward stroke.

Self-reliance:
Shown by an underlined signature.#

Optimism:
Shown by rising lines. Words written on an upward slope.

Self-confidence;
Seen in the personal pronoun 'I' which should be proportionate to the overall writing size.

Medium to large writing also denotes self-confidence.

I would be interested to know if anyone has any of these traits or a lack of them in relation to the surname theory.

Or even whether those in the latter half of the alphabet always seem to find it an uphill battle and a struggle in the quest to become successful. Perhaps giving up just before reaching the finishing line or giving up too soon. Or, not understanding why this happens to them.

Best regards,

Susan.

> Hi,

> What follows is seriously funny.
> A friend send me this with the following
> comment:
> "We often forget about subliminal
> impression our names, aliases and sigs make
> on people (and ourselves)."
> -------------------------
> Reports claim people with surnames beginning
> with a letter in the first half
> of the alphabet are more likely to be
> successful.
> The problem has been traced back to
> childhood, when school lists and classroom
> seating arrangements are often determined
> alphabetically.
> The report claims people who continuously
> see their names at the bottom of a
> list can suffer from low self-esteem.
> The world's five richest people - Bill
> Gates, Warren Buffet, Paul Allen, Larry
> Ellison and Karl Allbrecht - are have
> surnames near the top of the alphabet.
> Of the British Prime Ministers elected in
> the 20th century, only Margaret
> Thatcher and Harold Wilson had surnames
> starting A to M.
> All the Spice Girls, three of the four
> Beatles, and six of the seven G7 heads of
> government all follow the rule.
> The trend is explained in this week's
> edition of The Economist.
> Economics editor Pam Woodhall says pupils
> with surnames at the end of alphabet
> aren't questioned as much by teachers
> because they're sat near the back of the
> class.
> She said: "The humiliation continues
> ... at university graduations, shortlists
> for job interviews, election ballot papers,
> lists of conference speakers: all
> tend to be drawn up alphabetically."
> The paper quotes psychologist Richard
> Wiseman saying a high alphabet listing
> boosts people's confidence.
> --------------------------

Hello Simon

As a Certified Master Handwriting Analyst, I found your post very interesting and went to read the article in the Economist. I must say that it does make sense from the psychological point of view.

As you rightly mentioned, these childhood conditionings become subliminal and our handwriting is no different.

"Personality reveals itself in all human expression, but especially in the infinitely fine movements of the hand as it guides the pen..."

I would therefore be most interesting to compare this surname theory with a person's handwriting.

Handwriting can reveal more about a person than he may know himself, which is why it is used by corporate companies in the hiring process, for jury services and for personal improvement and compatibility, etc.

So, what I was wondering is whether those who fall in the first half of the alphabet have the desired traits for success and whether those who fall in the latter half of the alphabet lack the desired traits for success.

Perhaps those interested would like to look for the following traits in their own handwriting in relation to their surname...

A low self-esteem:
The position of the T-bar cross.

Writers who place their t-bars near the top or at the top of the stem have more self-confidence and self-esteem than do writers who cross their t-bars lower down on the stem. Confidence wins in the long-term. He directs his ambitions towards the future and will even forego short-term benefits for long-term rewards. A positive success trait to possess. If the t-bar is out of touch with the stem (floating above) the writer will tend to only dream about completing the goals he sets. This is usually because his goals are too unrealistic to accomplish.

The writer with a T-bar cross placed low on the stem is not a risk taker! The writer may miss opportunities because he does not demand enough of himself. He may set his goals too low for his own innate abilities. As he usually anticipates failure he prefers to stay within safe boundaries setting his goals in a security-minded manner.

Some other success traits...

Enthusiasm:
Shown by a long T-bat cross.

Tenacity:
Shown by final hooks on letters and words.

Persistence:
Shown by tied strokes in the three letter zones.

Initiative:
The t-bar cross is replaced by a stroke that starts at the bottom of the stem and breaks away in an upward stroke.

Self-reliance:
Shown by an underlined signature.#

Optimism:
Shown by rising lines. Words written on an upward slope.

Self-confidence;
Seen in the personal pronoun 'I' which should be proportionate to the overall writing size.

Medium to large writing also denotes self-confidence.

I would be interested to know if anyone has any of these traits or a lack of them in relation to the surname theory.

Or even whether those in the latter half of the alphabet always seem to find it an uphill battle and a struggle in the quest to become successful. Perhaps giving up just before reaching the finishing line or giving up too soon. Or, not understanding why this happens to them.

Best regards,

Susan.

> Hi,

> What follows is seriously funny.
> A friend send me this with the following
> comment:
> "We often forget about subliminal
> impression our names, aliases and sigs make
> on people (and ourselves)."
> -------------------------
> Reports claim people with surnames beginning
> with a letter in the first half
> of the alphabet are more likely to be
> successful.
> The problem has been traced back to
> childhood, when school lists and classroom
> seating arrangements are often determined
> alphabetically.
> The report claims people who continuously
> see their names at the bottom of a
> list can suffer from low self-esteem.
> The world's five richest people - Bill
> Gates, Warren Buffet, Paul Allen, Larry
> Ellison and Karl Allbrecht - are have
> surnames near the top of the alphabet.
> Of the British Prime Ministers elected in
> the 20th century, only Margaret
> Thatcher and Harold Wilson had surnames
> starting A to M.
> All the Spice Girls, three of the four
> Beatles, and six of the seven G7 heads of
> government all follow the rule.
> The trend is explained in this week's
> edition of The Economist.
> Economics editor Pam Woodhall says pupils
> with surnames at the end of alphabet
> aren't questioned as much by teachers
> because they're sat near the back of the
> class.
> She said: "The humiliation continues
> ... at university graduations, shortlists
> for job interviews, election ballot papers,
> lists of conference speakers: all
> tend to be drawn up alphabetically."
> The paper quotes psychologist Richard
> Wiseman saying a high alphabet listing
> boosts people's confidence.
> --------------------------

Susan,

Per your request here is the full text of the article from the print edition of The Economist.
Enjoy.

Simon

-----------------------
Surnames
As easy as ZYX
Aug 30th 2001
From The Economist print edition

It is time to stand up for the alphabetically disadvantaged

OVER the past century, all kinds of unfairness and discrimination have been denounced or made illegal. But one insidious form continues to thrive: alphabetism. This, for those as yet unaware of such a sad affliction, refers to discrimination against those whose surnames begin with a letter in the lower half of the alphabet.
It has long been known that a taxi firm called AAAA cars has a big advantage over Zodiac cars when customers thumb through their phone directories. Less well known is the advantage that Adam Abbott has in life over Zoë Zysman. English names are fairly evenly spread between the halves of the alphabet. Yet a suspiciously large number of top people have surnames beginning with letters between A and K.
Thus the American president and vice-president have surnames starting with B and C respectively; and 26 of George Bush's predecessors (including his father) had surnames in the first half of the alphabet against just 16 in the second half. Even more striking, six of the seven heads of government of the G7 rich countries are alphabetically advantaged (Berlusconi, Blair, Bush, Chirac, Chrétien and Koizumi). The world's three top central bankers (Greenspan, Duisenberg and Hayami) are all close to the top of the alphabet, even if one of them really uses Japanese characters. As are the world's five richest men (Gates, Buffett, Allen, Ellison and Albrecht). To cap it all, the editor, deputy editor and chief executive of The Economist are blessed with surnames starting with E, C and A respectively.
Can this merely be coincidence? One theory, dreamt up in all the spare time enjoyed by the alphabetically disadvantaged, is that the rot sets in early. At the start of the first year in infant school, teachers seat pupils alphabetically from the front, to make it easier to remember their names. So short-sighted Zysman junior gets stuck in the back row, and is rarely asked the improving questions posed by those insensitive teachers. At the time the alphabetically disadvantaged may think they have had a lucky escape. Yet the result may be worse qualifications, because they get less individual attention, as well as less confidence in speaking publicly.
The humiliation continues. At university graduation ceremonies, the ABCs proudly get their awards first; by the time they reach the Zysmans most people are literally having a ZZZ. Shortlists for job interviews, election ballot papers, lists of conference speakers and attendees: all tend to be drawn up alphabetically, and their recipients lose interest as they plough through them. Joint authors of economic papers are listed under the name that falls first in the alphabet.
What is to be done? Awkward though it may be for the independent-minded, women can at least achieve alphabetic advancement by marrying "up". Thus Ms Zysman could become Mrs Abbott. But by adulthood the damage has already been done. Parents could change their names to give their children a better start in life. But a class made up only of little Aarons and Abbotts could be horribly confusing.
It would be hard, perhaps impossible, to stop alphabetism. But do not give up hope, all you Ps, Qs and Ws. The alphabetically disadvantaged may not become presidents, central bankers or rich, but they seem to thrive at running firms. Nine of the world's ten biggest companies (by revenues) are run by bosses with names that begin in the second half of the alphabet. An old theory thus gains credence. Only those who have battled against the odds will really make it in business.

I studied graphology for awhile and made some deliberate changes to my signature and handwriting -- the backwards 3's for "e" and the linear (few loops) strokes, long and energetic (rising upward) cross-stroke to the "t" and a long tail to the final "e".

It was part of my 'lifestyle change' to become a more forceful person; to take my life into my hands and charge ahead. The tweaks to my signature 'reminded' my subconscious of the changes and eventually I did add some of those traits to my personality.

One thing I couldn't get rid of, though, was the opening "hook" on the "M" of my name. I am, in spite of all training, a rather acquisitive (territorial) person.

It was an interesting exercise.

Oh -- my maiden name is in the first half of the alphabet. When I was unmarried, my handwriting showed little sophistication and low self-esteem.

Hi Mel

Yes, graphology is a fascinating subject. I studied with one of the world's highly renowned and respected graphologists. A lady by the name of Erika Karohs. She is an Industrial Psychologist and has worked in industry for over 20 years.

Interesting to know that you tried grapho-therapy to change your personality.

What we have to watch out for when doing this without professional guidance is that we don't develop any unwanted traits in place of the ones we are trying to get rid of - this can sometimes happen.

However, you seemed to have been quite successful and although you didn't get rid of the acquisitive trait, I don't think that is such a bad thing Mel.

At least it makes you want to acquire the good things in life and hopefully to hold on to them once you have them.

Best wishes,

Susan Tuckett.

P.S. As the famous Bart Baggart always states, "Keep those t-bars high!"

> I studied graphology for awhile and made
> some deliberate changes to my signature and
> handwriting -- the backwards 3's for
> "e" and the linear (few loops)
> strokes, long and energetic (rising upward)
> cross-stroke to the "t" and a long
> tail to the final "e".

> It was part of my 'lifestyle change' to
> become a more forceful person; to take my
> life into my hands and charge ahead. The
> tweaks to my signature 'reminded' my
> subconscious of the changes and eventually I
> did add some of those traits to my
> personality.

> One thing I couldn't get rid of, though, was
> the opening "hook" on the
> "M" of my name. I am, in spite of
> all training, a rather acquisitive
> (territorial) person.

> It was an interesting exercise.

> Oh -- my maiden name is in the first half of
> the alphabet. When I was unmarried, my
> handwriting showed little sophistication and
> low self-esteem.

Hi Abe (alias Zach)

If you're serious then that's great .

If the surname theory is right (I can see the sense in it), it will be interesting to know what happens in say a year from now.

However, don't expect changes to occur too soon.

We have to realise that it is a conditioning enforced from our childhood.

Have you checked the success traits list in the thread. Maybe results will come quicker if you care to add some of these to your handwriting if they are missing.

Practice is the key!

GOOD LUCK...

Susan Tuckett.

> I studied graphology for awhile and made
> some deliberate changes to my signature and
> handwriting -- the backwards 3's for
> "e" and the linear (few loops)
> strokes, long and energetic (rising upward)
> cross-stroke to the "t" and a long
> tail to the final "e".

****Sounds fascinating, Mel...although I can not translate exactly what you are saying (lack of knowledge on the topic at hand) I am intrigued and will look into graphology myself so I can learn more!

> Oh -- my maiden name is in the first half of
> the alphabet.

*****My family name, "Jordan", is the tenth letter, and I so appreciate when people refer to my entire surname as Jordan Scott even though I choose not to hyphenate. I found when I chose not to use "Jordan" at all in my name, I fell asleep to my true self, and wore a mask of who I thought I was supposed to be. Nowadays, when people refer to me as "Julie Scott" I actually cringe.

Maybe my subconscious mind knew the back part of the alphabet thing! :-)

JULIE