Ten Ways to Succeed that Require Zero Talent

Talent Counts, but Effort Counts Twice as Much!!

Here are 10 Ways to Succeed by Jon Gordon that Require Zero Talent

You don't need to be the smartest or most talented person to achieve success in life. Often it's the seemingly simple things that can make a significant difference. These 10 things are things anyone can do. They don't cost money but they do require being intentional and effort.

1. Be On Time?– Honor others by respecting their time. Earning respect starts by giving it.?

2. Show Up and Do the Work?- If they praise you, show up and do the work. If they criticize you, show up and do the work. If no one even notices you, just show up and do the work. Just keep showing up, doing the work, and leading the way.

3. Give Your Best In All That You Do?– It doesn't matter what everyone else is or isn't doing. Focus on your contribution every day. When you give your best, you'll inspire others to give their best too.?

4. Be Positively Contagious?- Your attitude is contagious. Choose to be Vitamin C today. Look for opportunities to encourage and uplift those around you.

5. Have an Attitude of Gratitude?– Every day we have a choice. We can choose to be grateful and see the good in all that we have or we can let anger, fear, doubt, and insecurities rob us of our joy and the life we're meant to live. The choice is yours today.?

6. Seek Solutions vs. Dwelling on Problems?– How you see the world determines the world you see. When you seek solutions you see a world of possibilities and are able to overcome challenges.?

7. Have Passion?– Passion fuels your purpose. The strongest may survive but it is the passionate that will thrive. Get excited today!

8. Be Coachable?- Stay humble and hungry and be a lifelong learner. The best of the best are always striving to get better and so should you.

9. Do More Than What’s Required?– Average effort generates average results. If you want more, do more. Even a little extra each day can create big results over time.?

10. Believe in Yourself?– Stop listening to the self-sabotaging voices in your mind. Talk to yourself and feed the positive instead of listening to negative. You matter. You are capable. You can do great things. You are here for a reason.?

If you have not yet subscribed to Jon Gordon or Clint Hurdle's inspirational e-mails or Darren Hardy’s daily videos, you need to check them each out.

Also, I highly recommend the book, Grit, by Angela Duckworth.?There is a war for talent in business today, and as Angela talks about in her book, companies rise and fall based on their ability to recruit/retain the top talent in their respective industry.?She will convince you through her research and examples that talent counts, but effort counts twice as much.?There are so many helpful nuggets throughout the book.?My personal favorite is the chapter about cultivating a culture of Grit.?Here’s a few other helpful words of wisdom:

• Zeal + Hard Work > Intellectual Ability
• To do anything well, you have to overextend yourself
• Don’t be the smartest in the room, rather, be the grittiest
• Be hungry to learn, don’t dwell on mistakes, rather, learn from them
• Flow – the state of complete concentration
• Enduring passion and persistence > innate talent and genius
• Avoid goal conflict – focus on those that are most important, avoid all others
• Grit has two components:?Passion and Perseverance?

Here in Western PA, we pride ourselves on work ethic.?We’re known for our blue collar mentality, and I am blessed to be raised by parents/grandparents that were extremely hard-working and passed that work ethic down to our generation.?This book was not just timely for me and where I am in my career, but also as a parent/coach.?It helps talk about develop that Grit in your children/players, Nature vs. Nurture when it comes to Grit.?Angela talks about her own style as a parent and helping to instill the concept of “deliberate practice” to her own children.?After reading this book, whether you are an HR executive, recruiter, business owner, or CFO, I think you will get an even better sense of how to identify and cultivate that Grit within your own organization.?

In society today, we talk so much about that person that is gifted.?We say he/she is a natural.?They perform at such a high level and make it seem easy.?We fail to see and appreciate the Gritty practice, blood, sweat, and tears that have gone on for him/her to get to that point.?Angela also talks a lot about attitude, and developing a culture of problem solving and helping to develop within your employees/children the expectation of success and how this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

During these challenging times, our clients have needed us now more than ever to be Gritty problem solvers and help them to achieve their business goals and objectives.

I know we’re all extremely busy, but if you are looking for something thought provoking as it relates to Grit, peak performance, definitely check this book out!