Greatness is Created (from scratch, after much hard work)

I don’t normally include whole posts from other folks, but when I do, it’s generally from Seth Godin (Steve Chandler being the other common exception) (and this one is short… ).

The below reminds me of Carol Dweck‘s amazing work on Mindset.

According to Dweck there are some who believe that the gifts and talents you are born with are all you have (Fixed mindset) and that others say that we can grow our skills, abilities and capacity through intelligent and focused hard work (Growth mindset).

Thankfully, there is significant and compelling evidence for the latter.

But back to Seth’s post…

Take a minute, or 20, to really consider Seth’s brilliant and succinct words:

Actually, it goes the other way

Wouldn’t it be great to be gifted? In fact…

It turns out that choices lead to habits.

Habits become talents.

Talents are labeled gifts.

You’re not born this way, you get this way.

(Keep in mind, the “you-get-this-way” works both ways… if you practice not developing your gifts and continue to not-go-for-it you get more of that.)

Similar Posts

  • The Implications of Thoughts

    As I was preparing my coffee just a minute ago I had a realization: thoughts have consequences. Everyone can identify with the idea that actions have consequences, but thoughts? Yes, I believe so. Implementing this, effectively, does require a high level of awareness. We spend so much time with, and in, our thoughts that we ought to…

  • Be Anti-Status-Quo

    Any regular reader of this blog knows I am a big Seth Godin fan. I just read another great post on his blog (you can read it here). In the post he talks about the resistance of (certain factions in) business to important changes. One example being the elimination of child labor and the complaint…

  • A (Surprising) Truth

    It’s easier to forego temptation than it is to stop after only a bit. For example, it’s easier to not have any ice cream at all, than it is to eat just the “recommended portion.” In these situations inertia serves us. If we’re standing still in relation to something  (for example, the ice cream in…

  • Ambition is Neutral

    Ambition is at the very core of success and extraordinary achievement. Unlike greed, it’s a powerful, creative and constructive force. – Jim Rohn Some people view ambition in a negative light. They’ve seen people who are corrupt, unkind, or even criminal, who were “ambitious.” But that’s not what ambition is about. There are plenty of…