"Exactly how do life experiences change personality? **One reason we change is that we learn something we simply didn’t know before**. For instance, we might learn through trial and error that repeatedly swapping out one career ambition for another is unfulfilling. **That’s certainly what happened to me in my twenties. After running a nonprofit, then pursuing neuroscience research, then management consulting, then teaching, I learned that being a “promising beginner” is fun, but being an actual expert is infinitely more gratifying**. I also learned that years of hard work are often mistaken for innate talent, and that passion is as necessary as perseverance to world-class excellence." --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[expertise]], [[progressing-slowly]], [[talent]] **Source** -- [[20241030 - B - Grit]]