Better's Blinkist

What’s in it for me? Get inspired to pull up your sleeves and get to work!

We are constantly being told that we should persevere and soldier on, even if at first it seems too hard. Despite all this emphasis on working hard and keeping at it, however, we don’t really believe that it will get us to the top. In our heart of hearts, we know that it’s talent, not perseverance, that gets people to the top. But this way of thinking is misguided. Talent is overrated. What you really need is grit and determination. Think this assertion seems a bit naive? Well, these blinks provide the arguments to back it up. After reading them, you’ll be in no doubt of just how important hard work truly is.

28 September, 2020 02:07 Share

Even though we like to say that hard work is the key to success, we have a natural-talent bias.

if we’re being honest with ourselves, what we truly believe is that talent trumps hard work.

28 September, 2020 02:08 Share

In the same 2011 study, the musical experts were played two recordings and told that one was a naturally talented musician, while the other represented years of hard work. While the experts had said they favored hard work, they overwhelmingly chose the naturally talented musician as being superior. But here’s the catch: the experts were played identical piano pieces by the same musician! This kind of self-deception happens in the business world as well.

28 September, 2020 02:08 Share

Tsay’s study also looked at the experiences of entrepreneurs and found that the hard-working ones required several years more experience and at least $40,000 more in start-up capital in order to compete against the naturally gifted. More often than not, if a candidate is presented as having a natural talent for connecting with people, they’ll be considered more valuable than someone who has worked hard to build up a network of colleagues.

28 September, 2020 02:09 Share

Effort is twice as valuable as talent, something people with an initial lack of talent often discover.

Effort not only leads to skill; it also leads to results, which makes effort twice as important as talent! You can look at it like an equation: To determine your level of skill, you take your talent in a given field and multiply it by the amount of effort you put in. So, Talent × Effort = Skill.

28 September, 2020 02:10 Share

But when it comes to getting results, you have to put that skill back into the equation. And, once again, the results are going to depend on the amount of effort you put in. So, this time, Skill × Effort = Achievement. You can also look at it in terms of athletics. Even if you’re naturally talented, you still have to put in the effort to practice and develop your skill. If you want to win Olympic gold, for instance, it’s almost completely pure effort that’s going to get you there.

28 September, 2020 02:10 Share

Irving ends up writing and rewriting up to ten drafts of his novels, but he knows that his grit and hard work will pay off. The results speak for themselves: his novel The World According to Garp won the National Book Award in 1978.

28 September, 2020 02:10 Share

By creating and sticking to low-level goals, you can realize long-term goals and keep your dreams alive.

Conventional wisdom says that we should do what we love. But, more importantly, you need to stay committed to doing what you love. Giving yourself small daily chores is a good way to keep up your levels of effort.

28 September, 2020 02:11 Share

Without incorporating these small goals into your everyday life, the big goal will remain frustratingly out of reach. However, having a larger dream and vision in place is important for providing meaning and inspiration in your day-to-day life.

28 September, 2020 02:11 Share

During this career, Seaver orchestrated everything in his life to make sure he kept his goal of pitching alive and well. This meant staying in the shade if he was traveling through a sunny climate since a sunburn on his pitching arm could really interfere with this goal. This is what being loyal to your goal looks like. Seaver’s success was the result of a simple aim.

28 September, 2020 02:12 Share

It is important to choose work that interests you, but don’t let unrealistic expectations get in the way.

Schwartz noticed that this impractical outlook has seeped into both their professional and romantic lives. When it comes to jobs and love, he’s found that today’s young adults are under the impression that there’s one unique and perfect match out there waiting for them, and anything else is simply a waste of time. Today’s generation should know that, in reality, there are many jobs and partners out there that could be the basis for a successful relationship or career. And once you have found that career or partner, don’t forget the importance of sticking with it in order to successfully reach your personal and professional goals.

28 September, 2020 02:22 Share

today’s generation are especially prone to having unrealistic and starry-eyed expectations for what lies ahead.

28 September, 2020 02:23 Share

Be smart about how you practice and avoid getting stuck on autopilot.

People who practice always have more success at mastering a new skill than people who put in no effort at all. That said, cognitive psychologist Anders Ericsson has discovered that the key to this success is intelligent practice. Consider athletics. Successful runners don’t practice with vague goals in mind; they are precise and keep a close eye on every detail of their runs, including keeping track of how their body is responding and the distance they’re covering. Their goals are also precise; they attempt to run 100 meters further than last time, to reach a specific speed by the end of the month or to ease the tension in their shoulders during practice.

28 September, 2020 02:24 Share

It wasn’t until the doctor was pulled aside and told to take a moment – to think and intelligently reflect about what he was doing – that he got it right and began seeing good results. It can be easy to simply put your head down, get to work and end up on autopilot with the assumption that you’ll inevitably end up reaping the rewards of your practice time. But that won’t happen until you stop and reflect on precisely what it is you need to improve and start practicing smart.

28 September, 2020 02:25 Share

Finding purpose in your work is a great motivator, but finding your true calling can take time.

These zookeepers identify their work as a calling, and, as a result, their job gives them a greater sense of purpose in life and the belief that they are contributing to making the world a better place. This also means they are more willing to work overtime and stay on duty to tend to sick animals. If you haven’t found your true calling yet, don’t worry. It can take time and you might even find it while you’re doing something else.

28 September, 2020 02:26 Share

Teachers and parents can help ensure future success by rewarding hard work more than natural talent.

Rather than crushing someone’s hopes, remind children that skill can be achieved through hard work and that grit and determination bring rewards.

28 September, 2020 02:26 Share

It turned out that teachers who placed an emphasis on ranking students according to their grades were setting a bad example for the kids. These children would end up thinking that their level of intelligence was predetermined, and ended up preferring safe tasks that didn’t challenge them.

28 September, 2020 02:27 Share

If the parents and teachers simply tell children that they need to work harder, they will get motivated and achieve better results.

28 September, 2020 02:28 Share

Grit is a valued characteristic in some cultures and successful businesses.

Finnish psychologist Emilia Lahti takes sisu very seriously and has researched what it means to the Finns. After surveying a thousand Finnish people, she found that 83 percent thought that sisu is a characteristic that is learned and not an innate quality. And, just as grit can be learned, it can also be instilled as a virtue in a company.

28 September, 2020 02:28 Share

Final summary

It is true that you should do something you love, but the fact is that you will always hit rough patches. Hard work can lead to procrastination and doubt, and that’s where grit comes in. With determination and resolve, you can motivate yourself to keep working toward your goals and persevere through the toughest of times.

28 September, 2020 02:29 Share