For the final chapter of this series, we’ll dive deep into what some consider the most important ingredients to success: growth mindset and virtuosity.
Growth
In her book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” Stanford Professor of Psychology Carol Dweck states “in a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work — brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.”
This perspective is starkly opposed to a fixed mindset, in which people are confined by what they believe are their strong or weak traits, and are therefore limited in their potential for success. A fixed mindset avoids problems out of fear of failure, while a growth mindset embraces them as challenges and opportunities to learn. As Albert Einstein said, “Failure is success in progress.” Over the course of a lifetime, the outcomes of these two opposing viewpoints can be profoundly different.
Believing you are capable of adapting and overcoming any obstacle placed in front of you leads to both fulfillment and great achievement. The amazing thing is, even if you’ve lived your entire life with a fixed mindset, you can still evolve! We are all capable of developing this growth mindset, it simply requires practice. Next time you are confronted with something and that voice in your head says, “You can’t do this” respond with “Not yet, but I will.” Then find a way! The power of that word “yet” can be life-changing! Willpower and determination are incredibly powerful mechanisms. If you work hard and persist, you might surprise yourself with the result!
Struggling to become better teaches us humility and perseverance on our journey, but we should never lose confidence in our ability to grow through hard work. Renowned author and leadership guru John C. Maxwell summarized it perfectly: “Dreams don’t work unless you do.”
Virtuosity
The final aspect of mindset that is critical to greatness is virtuosity. What comes to your mind when you hear that word? Some people think of spiritual or moral virtues, such as kindness, selflessness, or humility. With a background in music, I often think of the term in that specific context, defined as “great skill in music or another artistic pursuit.”
The founder of CrossFit, Greg Glassman, has a broader definition that can be suitably applied to almost any craft: “Doing the common uncommonly well.” What does this mean? It means excelling in the basics! Think of all the greatest athletes, actors, doctors, architects, or artists of history. What is the one thing they all have in common? They have a mastery of the fundamentals of their craft. It is an unappealing truth that you cannot be great at complex tasks until you master the simple ones.
Unfortunately for many, the allure of instant gratification is too tempting. Whether at the gym, in our careers, or even with our personal relationships, most people have little to no patience to spend the requisite time on the fundamentals in order to become masters. The problem with this is that even if you miraculously make it to the heights of success you desire, it won’t last without a firm foundation. If you are promoted to CEO of your company tomorrow, you probably wouldn’t know how to handle the responsibility because you haven’t developed the skills necessary for that job. This is why people who win the lottery are much more likely to lose it all instead of maintaining their wealth. They never learned how to manage their money when they had little, so they certainly don’t know how when they have millions to spare.
No matter what you do, if you want high quality results, you need to pursue excellence in the details, while still “keeping the main thing the main thing.” It isn’t just about spending time mindlessly going through the motions, it’s about intentional practice. This is where we come full circle — virtuosity requires focus on the right priorities, a positive attitude even in the face of life’s setbacks, and a growth mindset that favors effort over results. Know your goals, have patience, don’t be afraid of failure, pursue excellence, and success will find you.
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