MM#60--The Roadmap to Success

Welcome to the theory to action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time to help you take action immediately, and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now, here's your host, David Kaiser.

Hello, I am David and welcome back to another Mojo minute. And our last Mojo minute we referenced how our 38th President Calvin Coolidge got it right, most especially on persistence, and determination. And we talked about living in the virtues towards a flourishing life. 

Well, today, let me introduce you to Angela Duckworth, who has written one of my favorite books of all time. In her book, she teaches us what the highly accomplished people in the world have in common. And as always, let's go to the book for a quote. 

Why were the highly accomplished so dogs had in their pursuits. For most, there was no realistic expectation of ever catching up to their ambitions. And their eyes. They were never good enough. They were the opposite of complacent, and yet in a very real sense, they were satiated with being unsatisfied. Each was chasing something of unparalleled interest and importance. And it was the chase as much as the capture that was gratifying. Even if some of these things had, they had to do were boring or frustrating or even painful. They wouldn't dream of giving up. Their passion was enduring. In some, no matter the domain, the highly successful had a kind of ferocious determination that played out in two ways. First, these exemplars were unusually resilient and hardworking. And second, they knew in a very deep, deep way. What it was they wanted. They not only had determination, they had direction. It was this combination of passions, passion, and perseverance that made high achievers special. In a word, they had grit, unquote. 

And that is Angela Duckworth in her book, grit, the power of passion, and perseverance. Wow. Does she not nail it? Of what we all think when we bring to mind the virtue of grit and how to define it? I think so. Daniel Gilbert, in his endorsement of the book on the backs of psychologists have spent decades searching for the secret of success. But Duckworth is the one who found it. And Amanda Ripley, the author of the smartest kids in the world, and how they got that way says, I keep wanting to read this book aloud, to my chip, my child, my husband, to everyone I care about. There are no shortcuts to greatness. It's true. But there is a roadmap and you are holding it. On quote, Amanda, I completely agree. This is our roadmap. 

So in today's Mojo minute, let us put theory into action. And let us examine what we are truly passionate about and how much perseverance we have in the tank. For those passions and those dreams of ours. Will we do the boring, frustrating and even painful actions needed to not give up on our dream while we put in the hard work, as Steven Pressfield has told us, in the path past? If so, grit will be our roadmap towards the science of success.

Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this theory to action podcast. Be sure to check out our show page at T Mojo academy.com where we have everything we discussed in this podcast as well as other great resources. Until next time, keep getting your mojo on