A smart, funny, quick TED talk by the author of huge hit Eat, Pray, Love (UK book and film, US book and film) – and specifically about how you have to keep creating, how you need to survive both success and failure. She has a particularly thought-provoking idea about what she calls going home to your creativity.
I automatically resist claims that there is, for instance, one single thing that makes people successful/rich/attractive* (*delete as applicable) because there isn’t. But the Inc website makes such a claim (via Lifehacker) and it is persuasive. I’m sure there is more to it but I could be convinced that this one thing is an essential part of being successful:
The only major personality trait that consistently leads to success is conscientiousness.
This is the Personality Trait That Most Often Predicts Success – Inc
Besides, I like it. I like that this is successful trait. Read on for some statistical research and more detail.
Creativity Post has an article about the methods successful people use for practicing whatever it is they do. The article is chiefly about sports success and what I don’t know about sport would fill every sports book, channel, magazine, blog and stadium. But the idea of having an aim, a purpose that requires practice to attain and to sustain, that applies to us all.
What do the fittest people do that I’m not? How are their workouts different? Are there key things they do while they’re working out that provide a bigger payoff than the things I do? In other words, are they extracting disproportionately greater results from their time in the weight room than I am?
The same can be said for our practice time. What do top performers do when practicing a skill? What do the less effective practicers do? Are there any differences?
Indeed, it appears that there are.
You’re wondering what the two expert things are. I feel if I told you both, it’d be stealing from them. Let me tell you the one that chimed with me: have specific goals. Now take a look at both the other thing and at more of the reasoning behind why they work.