Perseverance: I will work hard and do whatever it takes to make things happen.
The fourth factor in the mindset of success is the willingness to work hard and to do whatever it takes to create success and not simply relying on your “talent”. And that mindset inspires you to take risks, experiment, stumble, and even “fail” and keep on doing it until you create your success.
This mindset has been the object of research of Stanford Professor Carol Dweck, in her groundbreaking book, Mindset, The New Psychology of Success.
Dweck posits the “Fixed” vs. the “Growth” mindset:
- Fixed Mindset
The fixed mindset is based on a perception that you are either born with talent and intelligence or you are not. Therefore, you cannot change how talented or smart you are. The consequence is that you do not want to rock the boat and you are afraid to take risks and make mistakes because then it means you really are not talented.
- Growth Mindset
The growth mindset, on the other hand, stems from a belief that you can cultivate your talent and intelligence through hard work, experimentation and growth. Your talent and intelligence may be the starting point, but success comes as a result of effort, learning, and persistence. Those with a growth mindset are more resilient, work harder, embrace collaboration with others and as a result achieve greater success than those with a fixed mindset because they are motivated by the desire to grow and learn.
As Carol Dweck explained in a recent interview, the growth mindset is essential for creating success in today’s world because “you cannot keep up with all the changes that are happening if you are not committed to growing.” You need a mindset that is curious and open to learning and believes that you can improve throughout your life. It’s about working hard and putting in the effort and practicing and achieving mastery as opposed to believing that you are talented and that talent will get you places.
That sounds a lot like our panelists whose experience shows us how hard they worked, how persistent they were, how they tried things out and were constantly moving forward and growing.
James said that talent is one thing but “I am an incredibly hard worker. There are days when I all I do is send out email.” Owen related that DeCoda involves a lot of travel and hard work to create great relationships and continue to excel at what you do. We heard the same advice from Mellissa and Missy about working hard to network and to create and nurture connections.
As we have seen, our panelists with their very different paths all share a common approach to creating success. It takes a lot of energy to make things happen! With the right mindset, it is a labor of love and it is possible to carve out your niche and create success in this rapidly changing world of ours.
