The Secret To Success? Grit.
The media and content creation game is an exciting and fast-changing business. Our client list boasts many hard-working people with success on their minds. In her must-read book for anyone striving to succeed, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth suggests that the secret to outstanding achievement is not merely talent but a focused persistence on what she calls “grit.” In her New York Times bestseller Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Duckworth’s research suggests that grit trumps talent and intelligence as the best indicator for success.
Grit is informally defined as “mental toughness and courage” and according to Duckworth, it is composed of merely two things—passion and perseverance. It is passion that pushes you to engage in something, and it is perseverance that pulls you through when things get tough.
Where then does talent come into play? According to Duckworth, an obsession with your own level of talent can actually distract you from your potential. Talent is seen as a mysterious quality—you either have it or you don’t. And when you acknowledge that someone is more talented than you, you let yourself off the hook. But there is no mystery behind ‘grit’. It is the surest way to success.
The article below offers six ways to further develop your mental toughness, including seeking out a role model who has the grittiness you seek and working less on developing your talent and more on developing your passion and perseverance. Worth the read.
Facebook lost 15 million users. Now what?
Has social media peaked?
According to Tom Webster, Senior VP of Strategy and Marketing at Edison Research, Facebook has dropped a staggering 15 million users in 2 years. During his interview on the Social Pros podcast, Webster makes the case that social media overall has plateaued across the 12 to 35-year-old demographic. Five years ago, for example, 58% of users said that Facebook was their platform of choice, with 15% preferring Instagram. Today if you put Facebook and Instagram together that total is not as much as Facebook's total 5 years ago. "Facebook may not report this, but we do", says Webster.
But don't sell your Facebook shares just yet. "You would be foolhardy to count Facebook out", Webster continues. "They do have 61% of the U.S. and that's 61% of the country focused one brand". Troubled or not, Facebook is not going anywhere soon.
Webster also offers insight into the current state of all the major platforms including some surprising data on tablet usage, why we shouldn't under-estimate LinkedIn as a social platform, and a few enlightening predictions about the future of smart speakers.
If the most current state of social interests you, you don't want to miss this one.