Steve Jobs Said Perseverance Separates the Doers From the Dreamers, But Science Says This Trait Actually Predicts Success
Staying the course matters, but research shows what you do while staying the course is crucial to success.
By Jeff Haden
Steve Jobs often talked about different traits that lead to success, if only because he was so often asked. One was being willing to ask for help. Another was taking an unconventional path, and doing things other people typically don’t—or won’t—consider. Another was collecting a wide variety of experiences so you could solve problems in unique ways.
But the Apple co-founder reserved special attention for perseverance. As Jobs said:
I’m convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance. It is so hard. You pour so much of your life into this thing. There are such rough moments … that most people give up.
I don’t blame them. It’s really tough.
Of course, he was right; you can’t achieve anything difficult if you can’t stay the course. But developing greater perseverance—no matter how crucial willpower and determination can be for long-term success—is easier said than done.
And doesn’t necessarily predict success, especially if all you do is blindly follow the initial course you set.
Strategic Mindset and Success
According to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one attribute does specifically predict how effective you will be at pursuing your goals: possessing a strategic mindset.
As the researchers write:
[Success] requires less routine deployment of well-learned skills and more “thinking through” and “figuring out” challenging new problems. The pursuit of any challenging goal often involves actively analyzing tasks and then planning, self-monitoring, and revising strategies.
Such strategic behaviors are typically referred to as “metacognitive strategies,” because they require taking a perspective on oneself and one’s tactics.
In non-researcher-speak, successful people don’t just relentlessly follow a path. They constantly revise, and adapt, and refine their approach to achieving a goal.
Finding perspective, especially when tough times cause perspective to be in short supply, is another thing that sounds easier said than done.
That’s when the researchers say you need to ask yourself a few questions.
How to Develop a Strategic Mindset
When you feel stuck—when you feel blocked, or overwhelmed, or like giving up—don’t just try to power through.
Instead, take a step back. Depending on what you’re facing, ask yourself a few of these questions:
If you feel you’re struggling more than you should, ask yourself, “What are things I can do to help myself?”
If you feel like you’ve hit a plateau, ask yourself, “Is there a better way of doing this?”
If you feel frustrated with your progress, ask yourself, “How can I do this better?”
If you feel challenged, ask yourself, “What are things I can do to make myself better at this?”
If you feel intimidated, ask yourself, “What can I do to help myself?”
If you feel like whatever you’re trying to achieve will always be too hard, ask yourself, “What can I do to get better at this?”
Granted, the six questions seem repetitive. When I struggle to write a book chapter, I usually also feel frustrated. (And even intimidated.) But that’s OK. If I ask myself, “How can I do this better?” the key is to focus on specifics. Maybe I need to do a little more research. Maybe I need to find a different entry point to the point I hope to make. Maybe I need to set that section aside and work on another.
I could just persevere, but that will probably mean doing more of what I’m already doing, which clearly isn’t working. The key is to find a way to make yourself think about the way you’re working to achieve a goal, and make smart course corrections.
Perseverance helps you keep from giving up; a strategic mindset helps you refine and adapt your approach as you work to achieve your goal. The researchers found that the more often participants asked themselves those questions, the more likely they were to succeed, regardless of the nature of the goal.
As the researchers write:
… the more people reported employing such strategic behavior during goal pursuit, the more progress they actually made toward achieving their goals across different domains of life. These included students’ college grade point averages, adults’ professional, educational, health, and fitness goals, and performance on a novel task.
The next time you feel stuck, or frustrated, or challenged, take an emotionally intelligent approach and use those emotions to help you, not hinder you. See those feelings as a sign you need to take a step back to tweak, revise, and adapt your approach. Double down on what’s working, and refine what isn’t working.
Perseverance is a good thing, because it means you refuse to give up.
But the best kind of perseverance is refusing to quit and looking for an even better approach, especially when times get tough.