Success is Not About Talent, It’s About Effort

The next time someone tells you that you are not good enough, it’s 100 percent up to you to decide what to do with that information.

By Nick Powills1851 Franchise Publisher

SPONSOREDUpdated 4:16PM • 06/02/16

With a mission to create the greatest mid-sized agency that ever existed, I have learned that success is not about talent—it’s about effort.

Some of the greatest people to join our organization knew this. They may have been OK media pitchers, overlooked designers, ignored Social Media pros, or limited in their writing skills—but they were not going to let that influence the outcome of their time at No Limit Agency*.

Effort is what really impresses me.

But that's not to say that all effort carries the same weight. I am not looking to celebrate those who stay at the office the latest, just to show that they put in the most amount of time. I am looking to celebrate those who have buy in; those who listen to our process, embrace it, and then hustle to meet KPIs.

Our core values showcase what we are looking for in people: Culture of Respect; Give a Shit; and Anything is Possible. Those values fit the desire and need for those who are willing to put in the effort to potentially be great at this part of their career.

I have had to hustle and put in more effort than many people I've known. Luckily, for me, that effort eventually aligned with outcome, and reward and success ultimately came through that effort.

I have written about my struggles as a writer and being told "no" often. In my junior year of high school, I got cut from the baseball team. I loved baseball—I mean really loved baseball. At that point, even though I would have had worse odds than winning the lottery, I dreamt about playing Major League Baseball. When I was cut from the team, I decided to try out for travel baseball, thinking it would give me an opportunity to prove everyone wrong.

I had a bag of chips of my shoulder. And with that, I tried out for the travel team. Once again, I was told I wasn’t good enough to make the team. Not good enough to start; not good enough to ride the bench; not even good enough to sit in the stands and cheer the team on.

But instead of giving up, I kept fighting.

I called the coach and said he made a mistake and that I was willing to prove myself to him. Although he saw me as overweight and untalented, I was willing to run as far as he wanted me to on a daily basis—before practice and before games—to simply gain a place on his bench. I was willing to take lessons and swing the bat a million times. I was willing to do whatever it took.

He listened. He accepted the offer.

I would run three miles on the track behind the field every day in order to be a part of the team. He probably expected that my effort would dwindle and I would just be another body at the end of the bench. But I proved everyone wrong. By the end of the season, I was the starting catcher. I went from cut, to starter—not because I was more talented than everyone else, but rather because I could guarantee more effort than anyone else.

That mentality continued in writing and in my career. No one would be able to tell me I couldn’t put in the effort to succeed.

Today, that’s what I look for. I want people with grit; and especially those who are willing to leverage that grit to drive their success. Foundation + Momentum = Velocity.

So, the next time someone tells you that you are not good enough, strong enough, or willed enough—it’s 100 percent up to you to decide what to do with that information. Thoughts, words and actions are the only things you can control. If you think anything is possible, say it, and then show that you are willing to put in the effort to prove it. You might not be the starting catcher at the end of it, but I can promise you that you can turn heads by simply believing in your potential.

*This brand is a paid partner of 1851 Franchise. For more information on paid partnerships please click here.

Success is Not About Talent, It’s About Effort

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