Conventional wisdom says that the most important keys to success are determination through challenging times and willingness to make sacrifices. But what does research show?
A study of elderly nuns (the original subject of study was Alzheimers disease) uncovered some stunning results. (The numbers have been rounded for ease of reporting.)
Journals were discovered that 180 of the nuns had kept when they first entered the convent. Those journals were broken into two groups. One group's overriding theme was that life as a nun was going to be challenging, a big sacrifice, but they were determined to see it through. The other group's overriding theme was how happy they were to be there, that they were living their dream. There were about 90 nuns in each group.
Of the 90 whose journals talked of challenge and sacrifice, 20 were still alive 60 years later.
Of the 90 whose journals talked of happiness and dreams, 70 were still alive 60 years later.
Do people living their dreams encounter challenges and make sacrifices? Of course they do! So when we observe people succeeding in wonderful ways, we see them moving through challenges and think that’s what makes them successful. But then we look at someone else encountering a challenge and think they “should“ be able to push through as well.
We need to take a step back and look at what’s behind the motivation of the first person. Where does their energy come from? Someone who is focused on a dream, as opposed to something they feel they are “supposed to“ do, is far less likely to be slowed down by challenges, because their vision is on their dream. So if we want to effectively help people move through challenging times, we can refocus them on their dream! Or if we discover they are not following a dream, we can help them get clarity on a different direction.
Study source: Dr. Kim Cameron, professor of Management and Organizations at the University of Michigan. Original study was done at the University of Minnesota in 2008.
