--- title: Is the Secret to Success as Simple as Just Not Giving Up? description: Increasingly, researchers are seeing that aptitude isn’t everything canonical: https://time.com/3394861/secret-to-success/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-18T04:01:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T07:54:47.599Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Simple Secret to Success og:description: Increasingly, researchers are seeing that aptitude isn’t everything og:url: https://time.com/3394861/secret-to-success/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99d6ac99af7eb210/6986a3f13bc9990f8e1a55c8/182819476.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 182819476 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Simple Secret to Success twitter:description: Increasingly, researchers are seeing that aptitude isn’t everything twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99d6ac99af7eb210/6986a3f13bc9990f8e1a55c8/182819476.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Is the Secret to Success as Simple as Just Not Giving Up? by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Sep 18, 2014 4:01 AM UTC  Beautiful baby pushing an hay bale. Beautiful baby pushing an hay bale.Crisma—Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Sep 18, 2014 4:01 AM UTC We all know intelligence is important, creativity is important… but how much do these types of natural talent control really what you can achieve in life? In \~95% of cases, they don’t. Via [Mindset: The New Psychology of Success](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345472322/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Increasingly researchers are seeing that aptitude isn’t everything and that “non-cognitive skills” like persistence, planning and self-control can be more important than intelligence in the long run. While GED holders are as smart as graduates, in terms of future outcomes (annual income, unemployment, divorce, drug use) they look exactly like dropouts because they often lack that ability to persist. Via [How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547564651/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0547564651&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- What makes the best musicians? Nothing but hard work: Via [Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842948/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- **“Grit”** Intelligence and creativity are great but you can’t quit when the going gets tough if you ever really want to accomplish anything big. That’s _grit_. Perseverance. Via [Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594484805/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20). --- > “” --- Researchers have found that grit exists apart from IQ and is _more predictive of success than IQ_ in a variety of challenging environments from Ivy League schools to military academies to the National Spelling Bee: --- > “” --- Howard Gardner studied some of the greatest geniuses of all time and one of the things he saw they all had in common was something that sounds an awful lot like grit. Via [Creating Minds: An Anatomy of Creativity Seen Through the Lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham, and Ghandi](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465027741/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- **How can you be “grittier”?** The military now incorporates [methods to encourage grit](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/04/what-3-techniques-does-the-army-use-to-instil/). I’ve posted about[many techniques that increase willpower and persistence](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/15-research-based-secrets-to-bulletproof-will/) but one I think is especially good is _focusing on improvement_. When challenged, focus on “getting better” — not doing well or looking good. Get-better goals increase motivation, make tasks more interesting and replenish energy. Via [Nine Things Successful People Do Differently](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00607EX1E/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00607EX1E&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Why is it that grit is so good at predicting success? Sure, more attempts and more practice pay off, but research is also showing that _“_ **_both hope and despair are self-fulfilling prophecies.”_** Via [Maximum Brainpower: Challenging the Brain for Health and Wisdom](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345526147/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0345526147&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- **_This piece_** [**_originally_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/11/secret-success-not-giving-up/) **_appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/)**_._** **Join more than 100,000 readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD). Related posts: [What does it take to become an expert at anything?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/what-does-it-take-to-become-an-expert-at-anyt/) [What lessons can we learn from the most creative people?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/06/what-lessons-can-we-learn-from-the-most-creat/) [What 6 rules should be guiding your career?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/09/what-6-steps-should-be-guiding-your-career/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3394861/secret-to-success/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3394861/secret-to-success/"},"headline":"Is the Secret to Success as Simple as Just Not Giving Up?","datePublished":"2014-09-18T04:01:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T07:54:47.599Z","description":"Increasingly, researchers are seeing that aptitude isn’t everything","url":"https://time.com/3394861/secret-to-success/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99d6ac99af7eb210/6986a3f13bc9990f8e1a55c8/182819476.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99d6ac99af7eb210/6986a3f13bc9990f8e1a55c8/182819476.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"182819476","caption":"182819476","creditText":"Crisma—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3394861/secret-to-success/","name":"Is the Secret to Success as Simple as Just Not Giving Up?"}}]}] ```