I once worked for an agency with an unofficial motto of failure is not an option.  The mindset of eliminating failure as a outcome was incredibly liberating — the things we achieved were incredible and often unbelievable.  But from within the agency, our achievements were the norm.

If failure isn’t a possible outcome, the worst you face is a temporary setback.

I’ve always thought mindset is the key to all success — family, professional, athletics, etc.  Yes, there are limits we often have to deal with that go beyond desire and sticktoitness.  But I sincerely don’t believe there’s any greater element of success than dedication, hard work, and relentless pursuit of achieving whatever it is you’re chasing in life.

What promoted me to write this post is a highly interesting article I found via SmartBrief — an article titled The truth about grit, published on the Boston Globe’s website.  The article is about research and associated conclusions that indicate grit is the most essential ingredient to success — more than intelligence.

While researchers have long focused on measurements of intelligence, such as the IQ test, as the crucial marker of future success, these scientists point out that most of the variation in individual achievement — what makes one person successful, while another might struggle — has nothing to do with being smart. Instead, it largely depends on personality traits such as grit and conscientiousness. It’s not that intelligence isn’t really important…but that having a high IQ is not nearly enough.

Here’s the link to the article. I encourage you to read it and think about the work you do in your business and success you pursue in your personal life.  Do you have grit?

What do you think?

What role does grit play in your success?