According to an article in USA Today, a Dutch psychologist investigated the differences between chess masters and grand chess master.
He found no difference in IQ, memory or spatial reasoning.
The only difference he could identify: the grand masters simply loved chess more. He concluded that they had more passion about and commitment to the game.
I’ve observed that you don’t have to love what you do to be very good at it. I know very competent and successful individuals who have developed the skills to succeed at their work and who by their own admission see what they do as a means to an end. They don’t love their work, nor are they passionate about it. They are, however, very good at it.
But when it comes to greatness, I intuitively agree with the Dutch researcher. The inspired performers, the uber achievers and the grand masters of life seem to share a common difference. They simply love what they do a little bit more.
Love is the difference.
Excellent post as usual! Passion (i.e. having a love for what you do) is key in all aspects of life. The alignment of passion and purpose can be an exponential force. I loved the parallel to good vs great chess masters.
Thanks Mark!
Mark, please put in your article the link to the news article so that we can follow up on it. Thank you.
I really like how this post illustrates the difference that can be achieved simply with passion.I have always felt it is not the amount of time someone spends at their profession but the amount of themselves they put into that profession that achieves the best results. This reminds me of a qoute that I saw on an earlier post of yours that I have been using frequently.
‘When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’
Erma Bombeck