If you are looking for ways to become the most successful version of yourself, try practicing the inner work. The inner work focuses on improving one’s skills and finding and growing your own unique talents. Highly successful people are not necessarily smarter or more talented than less successful people, research shows it comes down to how they learn lessons and adapt to the situation.
Their perseverance also plays a big part in their success, having the mindset of never giving up helps you grow. Successful people reach their goals because of what they think, how they respond and how they embody hard lessons. Highly successful people share a few key traits that help them succeed. Traits such as grit, resilience, confidence and the ability to learn. Grit is a better predictor of success than IQ or conscientiousness, no matter the population.
The work you put in, and what you can develop inside of yourself often has a bigger impact on your career than your background, status and environment does. We all have the potential for greatness. Doing the inner work for success is like building a muscle, you use it or you lose it. You control whether you grow or shrink your skills, it all depends on how determined you are.
The growth mindset or growth orientation is a big factor in someone’s success. Social Cognitive Psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorson says, “Decades of research suggest that the belief in fixed ability is completely wrong, abilities of all kinds are profoundly malleable. Embracing the fact that you can change will allow you to make better choices and reach your fullest potential.” Ways to develop the growth mindset include, setting large goals, creating long term and short term career goals and involving other people.
Emotional regulation is another big factor. Highly successful people can often monitor and manage their emotions and behaviors in service of their long term goals. Self discipline aids them in their journey toward success.
When a leader is under trained and has not practiced the inner work, the company pays the price. Poor leadership costs US companies around $550 billion a year on lost productivity. High turnover rates are costly. According to a study in 2025, US businesses lose $1 trillion per year from voluntary turnover. With 47% of formal employees stating they loved their job but could not stand their manager.
A shocking 58% of managers have never received formal management training. Just 19% of organizations think their leaders are effective at developing others. However companies that do invest in management training see 69% more collaboration and teamwork within staff, and higher numbers of employee engagement.
When a leader or manager practices the inner work, and has emotional stability and intelligence, organizations see higher numbers in employee satisfaction and overall engagement. Employees often take up bigger projects and voice their concerns and ideas more. With the boost in wellbeing and productivity, employees often have higher sales numbers. Doing the inner work doesn’t just help you reach your career goals, it also helps and encourages those around you. Learn more at Sounds True.
Source: Sounds True
