Psychology Today: Fortitude, Not Aptitude, Will Help You Achieve Your Goals
"The evidence strongly suggests that fortitude (strength of mind) is a more powerful determinant of your achievements, including happiness, and perhaps even longevity, than is raw aptitude (natural ability). While you may not be able to increase raw aptitude, you can increase your fortitude at any time in your life.
Characteristics That Foster Fortitude
- Curiosity: As Harari points out, what differentiates civilizations that became empires from those that did not is their curiosity. Curiosity is what drives discovery and growth.
- Willingness to be vulnerable: Vulnerability is not weakness; it is a form of strength that very few will choose to mobilize. Vulnerability is choosing to enter into situations wherein you do not have control. Only then can you possibly reap the harvest of unknown opportunities.
- Decisiveness and the avoidance of complacency: “if a person perceives a situation as real, it is real in its consequences.” Simply said, actions and outcomes often follow beliefs. If you believe you are destined for a better life, so it shall be.
- The willingness to reach out to others to form supportive and collaborative relationships: The connection to others has consistently been shown to predict health, longevity, opportunity, and resilience, while at the same time the absence of connection to others predicts depression. The social aspect of emotional intelligence appears to be a source of happiness and achievement. "
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What I have learned from this article
- Strength of mind is more powerful than raw talent in achieving your goals and it can be acquired at any age.
- To reach your goals, you will need to be curious, and vulnerable, avoid complacency, and connect with others.
#Aptitude #Fortitude #Goals #Curiosity #vulnerability
@globalBraid3744 I love how you said "strength of mind is more powerful than raw talent in achieving your goals." I agree 100% that work ethic will get you a lot farther than just talent alone. This was something I had to learn in college because a lot of my peers had an easier time with studying and exams, but this doesn't mean I was any less smarter than them. I learned how to become a hard worker and not give up when times get tough. Life always catches up with you and you have to be able to get back up when you get knocked down.