The Science of Success: 5 Consistencies

by © 2008 Christine Carter, Ph.D.Link to the Original Article by Dr. Carter

People who rise to greatness tend to have five things in common:

1. They practice hard, in a really specific way. Nobody makes the list of true greats effortlessly. Accomplished people devote hours upon hours to what researchers define as "deliberate practice." 

2. They practice consistently. K. Anders Ericsson, author of a landmark study on this topic, says that "elite performers in many diverse domains have been found to practice, on the average, roughly the same amount every day, including weekends." 

3. They gain experience over the long haul; researchers call it the 10-year-rule. Most successful people average ten years of practice and experience before becoming truly accomplished.

4. Most greats have had significant failures-it goes with the territory. 

5. They believe persistence leads to success. Great performers have been shown to believe that their persistent effort will lead to success; researchers call this self-efficacy.

Read the Expanded article in our July 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin