What characteristics enable successful people to achieve their goals and dreams?
First, it helps to be talented in whatever your pursuit of success is — that’s axiomatic.
What is the second ingredient and can it be learned?
The answer: Grit.
It’s perseverance in the face of adversity, relentless effort against all odds that propels successful people to that next level.
If you love what you do then how can that be considered work? It becomes your passion.
Passion is the third characteristic, the cornerstone of success.
Consider this — in order to achieve success, you must face adversity head-on and push through it.
Adversity ultimately provides you with strength, resilience and the skill-set that emanates from an inner drive. It is hardwired in the DNA of those who are successful. Remember that “no” means “go away and regroup.”
Successful people are always learning, turning weaknesses in strengths by tinkering, fine-tuning and practicing. Successful people never take the path of least resistance.
President Abraham Lincoln said, “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.” Few people failed in early life as much as Lincoln, yet he is considered one of our greatest presidents.
When you get discouraged, when you seem unable to make it, you cannot do without one thing. It’s the priceless ingredient of success called relentless effort.
Success cannot be achieved without experiencing adversity. The real question is: How badly do you want your goal? If you are willing, in the fullness of time, and preserver at all costs, I guarantee you that you will achieve it with relentless effort — that’s the power of grit.
Forti nihil difficile — nothing is difficult for the strong.
Earth Doctor Reese Halter is the author of “The Incomparable Honeybee & The Economics of Pollination.”