I have long been curious about how a desire for success develops in a person.  When I was a teen I saw this solely as a product of innate talent.  Now I have grown to understand that it is really a combination of key characteristics that are refined overtime– characteristics we can all tap into.  Ability certainly plays a significant role; and we all have a skill or talent we can nurture; but so does determination, perseverance and courage.  As we bring these things together, we are building a machine that will enable us to forge a pathway to success.  Academic psychologist and science author Angela Duckworth describes it like this: “… achievement is the product of talent and effort, the latter a function of the intensity, direction, and duration of one’s exertions towards a long-term goal.”  And in an article for Forbes Magazine Margaret Perlis writes:  “However, one of the distinctions between someone who succeeds and someone who is just spending a lot of time doing something is this: practice must have purpose. That’s where long-term goals come in. They provide the context and framework in which to find the meaning and value of your long-term efforts, which helps cultivate drive, sustainability, passion, courage, stamina…grit.”

Purpose:  the one final component that must be added to make this vehicle complete.  We all have it.  It is why we are here.  Take time to uncover it and discover it.    And then pursue it with all of your strength.