Tenacity: staying power, fortitude, perseverance, persistence, tenacity, doggedness, grit, resolution, stamina, determination, endurance.
For all of you who believe that genius is about superhuman intellect or world-encompassing insight on command. If you’ve ever been led to believe that working hard infers that you aren’t bright enough to achieve dazzling success on your first pass.
This one is for you.
It’s for those whose vision simply banishes the option of a safe job and bowing to social expectation of settling. For the restless and driven who withstand scorn and scoff of their ideas and persist through countless failures. For those who challenge the impossible.
The difficult is that which can be done immediately; the impossible that which takes a little longer.
- philosopher George Santayana
Many of our species have defied the impossible:
Roger Bannister shattering the myth of the 4minute mile, the Wright brothers giving humans wings, Walt Disney building a kingdom around a talking mouse.. the list goes on through those who reshaped possibilty on a large scale.
To almost all great ones it wasn’t some effortless conspiring of the “Universe” in the fashion of The Secret that powered their world.changing efforts.
Their successes came, borne of sweat, frustration and failure. Yet there is a persistent belief that if you have to work hard it must mean that you aren’t all that smart. We’re seduced into believing the diet pill fantasy. Our society tumbling into soft.headed infatuation with these promising shortcuts to success, like a love.sick teenager not yet topped up with common.sense or cynicism.
If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem wonderful at all. - Michelangelo
There is one inherently surprising quality to genius (as opposed to fast and hard street smarts for example). It is fragile. Genius is not inherited, unlike genetically-transmittable talents. It is volatile and easily crushed and muted by insult.
Which is why the unrelenting armour of tenacity is so needed as its accompaniment.
The armour your ally against the resistance, laughter, ego.bashing rejections and smug enjoyment you provide for detractors when you make mis.takes.
In China, this strategy comes through the development of an impenetrable “thick face”. Don the armour of determination if you have a truly innovative idea with world.changing capability, and buckle down for what may be a bumpy ride for the ego on that less.travelled road.
It may not make rational sense, looking at the radical pace of technology, but the world is curiously opposed to new ideas (the REALLY new ones that solve problems of long.standing inefficiencies in particular). Determination is wedded to a long.term strategy which will see you through the short term relief opportunities that come up. The quick money offers, the safer jobs and status upgrades, pay.off’s or even sidestepping physical threat as your ideas meet the market.
Great ideas are cheap and plentiful. Those who will actually work to make sure they happen, precious few. I finally realised we have no lack of passionate brilliant people with ingenious solutions. We have all the available capability to deal with the world’s woes very effectively. But the proportion of people who are prepared to risk their own time, money, reputation on birthing their ideas? And then the proportion left after a year or so? Or those who could have the patience to bear 50,000 experiments to perfect the alkaline battery for example?
Only genius buffered by tenacity would refuse to give up or settle for good enough.
Computer engineer & mathematician Howard Aiken said it best “Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats“
That’s why NDA’s are a giggle for the most part these days. If it’s a really great concept, good luck! because there are special devils set aside that will ensure that it is forged and fortified with its dues in time, sweat & tears.
Regardless of whether it’s a clean alternative fuel, getting your body in shape, or getting your business to get to the point where it pays without pain: endurance pays off, exponentially.
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; un-rewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
-Calvin Coolidge
Genius provides the visionary ignition spark and your tenacity ensures you get there, in one piece.
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this post is part of the monthly theme on Endurance
found here on Hunter of Genius & beyond.
A super and long-awaited continuation of your insight into what makes a genius.
Your point on risk is spot on - there is a price to pay to do something significant, and most people are not willing to pay that price. Perhaps they consider the risk too high - their faith in a positive outcome shot down by the fear of losing the mediocre yet comfortable existence they endure. As has been said, fear is the absence of faith. Faith is not the absence of fear, but the overcoming of it.
Great post Max!
We missed you.
Welcome back Max!!!!
Did I say long-awaited? :)
You know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder :) Way to go Max, You got us cheering as you make make your come back.
Nice post btw. I’ve always liked that quote “Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats“
It’s one I’ve kept in my collection of quotes :P
It’s great that you included tenacity into the fray as it’s a question often posed to myself on whether hard work is sometimes reminiscent of not being smart enough. Sometimes we look at people and wonder how they made it great with so little perceived effort.
There are ample examples of greatness through hard work, but negative mind frames often boggle is into oblivion. Despite the obvious efforts it take, we still sometimes wonder why WE should struggle so much.
In the end, the struggle is what makes us unique, adds substance to our being and burns like fire in our belly.
And it’s through work like yours that we are able to remind ourselves that genius is within everybody willing to embrace their passions and persist even when others doubt you.
PS: If this is the type of work we have to wait months for, then I am more than happy to allow you your time off from blogging! :-)
Welcome back.
Thank you so much @Darren @Miguel @Paul @Rafiq @Henre ..I’m re.inspired after your wonderful welcome back. Didn’t think anyone would even see my post it’s been so long :-/
Quality feedback from some of the fine minds in the community. You guys ROCK
Ye Max, good to see that you’re blogging again :)
Good to see that you ‘practice what you preach’ - this makes
your ‘Genius-series’ half-full!
Really great posts Max - I went back and read the others. You should turn this into a book/e-book (let).
So true.
Reminds me of something I said some time ago.
@ Chris thank you! & so good to have discovered your site - thx for the gr8 convo around online activism too.
@Jacques LOL! I need to do this one particularly because I haven’t been good with endurance (esp. around blogging!) so it’s the way I learn best.. creating enough pressure to practise what I preach. thank you extra much for the support J
@Karen THANK YOU, gr8 to have a professional writer’s standpoint. I’d LOVE to. And really keen to develop more community and shared knowledge base for writers here. Working on it, & love advice from you if poss.
@Martin: beautiful, succinct. Right on the mark!