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Ten Things that Require Zero Talent


Whether we’re talking about college, work, or being on an athletic team, anyone can do these, and they often make the difference between success and failure. Raw talent is never enough; in fact, most teachers can name several smart, talented students who failed because they just couldn’t follow through on these traits.

I got this list from this website; the discussion there is more complete and worth looking at.

  1. Being on time
  2. Work ethic
  3. Effort
  4. Body language
  5. Energy
  6. Attitude
  7. Passion
  8. Being coachable
  9. Doing extra
  10. Being prepared

I would go so far as to say that these ten will later make the difference between people who get hired and people who don’t.

Ten more

Here are another ten from the same author. Within this list, there are a few that have a special impact on college students. The student who sees the academic task as mainly being a matter of memorizing facts to regurgitate on tests will probably be very bored (and boring) and will not do nearly as well as the student who has a sense of curiosity, humility, and resourcefulness.

  1. Curiosity
  2. Confidentiality
  3. Empathy
  4. Flexibility
  5. Honesty
  6. Humility
  7. Kindness
  8. Listening
  9. Resourcefulness
  10. Sincerity
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