Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things

by Adam M. Grant

Potential is not a matter of where you start, but of how far you travel. We need to focus less on starting points and more on distance traveled.

ambition is the outcome you want to attain. Aspiration is the person you hope to become.

“The achievement is in the growing.”

“The best cure to feeling uncomfortable about making mistakes is to make more mistakes.”

Absorptive capacity is the ability to recognize, value, assimilate, and apply new information. It hinges on two key habits. The first is how you acquire information: Do you react to what enters your field of vision, or are you proactive in seeking new knowledge, skills, and perspectives? The second is the goal you’re pursuing when you filter information: Do you focus on feeding your ego or fueling your growth?

I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I believe it is possible. I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. —Stephen Colbert