Published on Psychology Today (http://www.psychologytoday.com)

The Winning Edge

In the summer of 1994, in the tallest of Princeton University's ivory towers, Andrew Wiles was completing one of the most extraordinary odysseys in the history of math. For more than three decades, Wiles had been obsessed with Fermat's Last Theorem, a seemingly simple problem that had stumped mathematicians for 350 years. French mathematician Pierre de Fermat had noted that although there are plenty of solutions to the equation X2 + Y2 = Z2 (for example, 32 + 42 = 52), there is no corresponding solution if the numbers are cubed instead of squared. In fact, Fermat scribbled in the margin of a book that he had "truly marvelous" proof that the equation Xn + Yn = Zn has no solution if n is any number greater than 2. Unfortunately, he never put his proof on paper.

Wiles was 10 years old when he encountered the theorem. "It looked so simple, and yet all the great mathematicians in history couldn't solve it. I knew from that moment that I had to." When classmates were flocking to rock concerts, he was studying how geniuses of prior eras approached the problem. He abandoned the quest after college in order to focus on his budding academic career, but his obsession was rekindled in 1986, when a fellow mathematician showed that proving a certain mathematical hypothesis—this one unsolved for a mere 30 years—would also prove Fermat's theorem. He set aside all but the few classes he was teaching—and revealed his quest to no one but his wife. To disguise his single-mindedness, he rationed the publication of previously completed work.

Despite long hours of focus—his only source of relaxation was playing with his two young children—the next few years produced little concrete progress. "I wasn't going to give up. It was just a question of which method would work," says Wiles. In 1993, after seven straight years of intense work—more than 15,000 hours—Wiles stepped up to the podium at a conference in England and, over the course of three lectures, presented his completed proof of Fermat's Last Theorem.

A media frenzy followed. The shy mathematician found himself named one of People magazine's 25 Most Intriguing People of the Year, alongside Oprah and Princess Diana. But a handful of peer reviewers poring over the 200-page proof found several small errors. Wiles set to work addressing them. After a full year of frustrating struggle, Wiles had the insight that allowed him to fix them.

Wiles' intellect is inarguably impressive; one of his colleagues told The New York Times that only 1 in 1,000 professional mathematicians were capable of understanding Wiles' work. However, the Princeton professor himself attributes his accomplishment not to his brains but to his persistence. "For me, it was the main thing," he says.

It is likely that somewhere, at this very moment, a parent or coach is declaring to a discouraged child that "quitters never win." But perseverance has come to seem like quaint lip service against the tide of interest in talent and aptitude, flashier gifts that nature, or genes, seem to inarguably confer.

And yet grit may turn out to be at least as good a gauge of future success as talent itself. In a series of provocative new studies at the University of Pennsylvania, researchers find that the gritty are more likely to achieve success in school, work and other pursuits—perhaps because their passion and commitment help them endure the inevitable setbacks that occur in any long-term undertaking. In other words, it's not just talent that matters but also character. "Unless you're a genius, I don't think that you can ever do better than your competitors without a quality like grit," says Martin E. P. Seligman, director of the university's Positive Psychology Center.

Indeed, experts often speak of the "10-year rule"—that it takes at least a decade of hard work or practice to become highly successful in most endeavors, from managing a hardware store to writing sitcoms—and the ability to persist in the face of obstacles is almost always an essential ingredient in major achievements. The good news: Perhaps even more than talent, grit can be cultivated and strengthened.
How Much Does Talent Count?

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up," opined Thomas Edison, a man almost as famous for lauding perspiration as he is for inventing the lightbulb. If effort is the bedrock of success, what role do intelligence and other abilities play? "IQ counts for different amounts depending on the task and situation," emphasizes intelligence expert Robert Sternberg, dean of arts and sciences at Tufts University.

Many large-scale analyses, however, suggest that a mere 25 percent of the differences between individuals in job performance—and a third of the difference in grade point average—can be attributed to IQ (personality factors, creativity and luck are said to contribute to the other 75 percent). Angela Duckworth, a graduate student at Penn who, together with Seligman, has conducted several key studies on grit, argues that the precise number isn't as important as knowing that intelligence accounts for only a fraction of success.

The Power of Network Marketing

The Price Of The Promise

Mark Yarnell, minister in a small town in Texas, was headed for bankruptcy and just about to lose his car and home. He looked for a way out and discovered network marketing. Luckily, he had a wise sponsor.

The sponsor gave Mark "THE PROMISE". "This business can set you free financially in one to three years.." But he also gave him "THE PRICE" "To succeed, you will have to face and conquer 4 major enemies."

Mark said, "It's a deal."

Mark began by inviting 200 friends over to his house to watch a video. 80 said "No, not interested"

- Mark had encountered ENEMY #1: Rejection.

He thought, "No problem. My sponsor warned me about that. I've got120 people still coming over." Guess what?

- He had just encountered ENEMY #2: Deception.

Mark thought, "No problem. My sponsor warned me about that. I've got 70 people who watched the tape." Guess what? 57 said "Not Interested".

- He had just encountered ENEMY #3: Apathy.

Undaunted, Mark thought, "No problem. 13 people signed up." Guess what? 12 of them dropped out of the business shortly thereafter.

- He had just encountered ENEMY #4: Attrition.

Attrition had left Mark with just one serious associate. But to this day, that single distributor earns Markover $50,000 per month.

Mark Yarnell's story is NOT Unique!

You may have heard of Bill Britt, one of the most successful distributors in Amway. Some years ago, 20/20 did a feature story on Amway. They spent 19 minutes interviewing whiners and complainers - several distributors who had failed and showed the garages full of products they couldn't sell. During the last minute of the show, Mr. Britt was interviewed in front of his palatial home. He was asked, "Mr. Britt, this business has obviously worked for you. What's your secret?"

He replied, "There is no secret. I simply showed the plan to 1200 people. 900 said, 'No' and only 300 signed up. Out of those 300, only 85 did anything at all. Out of those 85 only 35 were serious, and out of those 35, 11 made me a millionaire." Like Mark Yarnell, Bill worked through the numbers..

Jason Boreyko, former co-founder of New Vision, told this story recently. When he was a distributor in Matol, he signed up 50 people. He heard a lot of "No's" on the way to those 50. Jason took one man, who he knew would be terrific in the business to lunch, told him about the business and the man said "No." Jason took the man to lunch again the next month and told him the updates. Once again the man said, "No." Jason sent him some more information and took him to lunch again the next month. And again the man said, "No." That went on for six months. The seventh month, something had changed for the man, and he said, "Yes." That man made Jason over one million dollars. Jason also worked through his numbers.

According to Richard Poe in Wave Three while starting Amway, Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel, America's eleventh richest people, recruited 500 people. 495 dropped out. The five that didn't quit built Amway. All $7 billion of Amway's business was built under those 5 people. Jay and Rich had to work through their numbers. There are many similar stories. Jeff, the top money earner in Mannatech, signed up 27 people his first month.

One might think that he is especially talented at sponsoring. Actually, Jeff will be the first to tell you that he is not talented at all.

In fact, he feels that he did very poorly. To recruit those 27, Jeff talked to 2000 people that first month. And of the 27, the only one who did anything significant with the business was Ray Gebauer, who has more than half of Mannatech in his downline.

Jeff's word to you is that the numbers never lie. Pick your goal and then get into massive action. If you talk to enough people, you will make it!

Here's the lesson: Your success is directly related to the degree to which you are willing to work to find others like yourself who are committed to succeed. Mark Yarnell's odds were 1 out of 50. (Jeff's were really 1 out of 2000.) Would you be willing to go through 200 people to find the 1 who will make you $50,000 a month? Or go through 200 people to become a millionaire? Or hear uncounted "No's" to sign up 50 people to find a million dollar person? I hope you will. It's easier when you know the odds up front.

But here's the catch: You have your own set of odds and you won't know what they are until AFTER YOU'VE SUCCEEDED. So if you've gone through 50 or 100 people and you haven't found 1 serious person yet, you can either give up and assume the business doesn't work or recognize that you are working through your own numbers.

Are you willing to find out what your own set of odds is?

That means that you must pay the price for freedom. Remember that the numbers never fail you. Despite where you are in your skill level, your success is assured if you talk to enough people. And as your skill improves, so will your odds.

There is no such thing as luck in this industry. Winning big is a matter of being willing to pay the price. Are you?

Your future is in your hands! The choices which you make today will determine the course of your entire future!