Greenspring’s Women & Wealth group wanted to know: What is the secret to unlocking the potential in ourselves and others? To get some answers, we turned to organizational psychologist, Adam Grant, and discussed key themes of his recent book “Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things.” We discovered that unlocking one’s full potential is within the grasp of all of us. What a relief to know that you don’t have to be born naturally gifted at something to achieve great things! For the fact-checkers among us, there is even evidence to support this claim.
While this book has many insights, one sentence particularly resonates and warrants underlining. Grant sets the sentence up by defining personality as “your predisposition — your basic instincts for how to think, feel, and act.” He then defines character as “your capacity to prioritize your values over your instincts.” Grant sticks the landing with this pearl of wisdom: “If personality is how you respond on a typical day, character is how you show up on a hard day.” Growth and progress are not about winning the genetic lottery or being born with some extraordinary trait; it’s about building character that allows us to realize our potential.
Our Women & Wealth group encourages you to contemplate this: How WILL you show up? How will you show up on a hard day at work? How will you show up on a hard day at home?
As a financial advisor, my next thought, of course, was how we might apply this to reaching our financial potential.
To be a successful investor, you don’t have to invest at the perfect time, pick the perfect stock before it breaks out, or start with a million dollars. To be a successful investor, you need to have character or, in industry speak, financial discipline. When markets have an inevitable pullback, will you make a hasty decision or stick to your investment strategy? How will you show up?
To have a successful financial plan, you don’t need to earn a six-figure salary, inherit a trust fund, or win the lottery; rather, you need to maintain discipline and stick to your plan. Will your desire for a lifestyle you cannot afford tempt you to incur crushing debt or stop saving for the future? How will you show up?
Reaching your financial potential is not out of reach, it just requires character.
About Greenspring Women & Wealth
The Greenspring Women & Wealth Group is dedicated to elevating female voices in the workplace by providing a constructive environment for meaningful conversations, community, and skills-based learning.
