If you’re worried that there are people out there more talented than you, save yourself some stress. Most likely you’re right.

But, that doesn’t mean those people are more likely to succeed than you.

Being the best isn’t all you need be a winner.

You can have half of the talent as some others but be far more successful.

That’s possible because although others may have sharper skills, you may have more of what it takes to come out on top.

Like what, you ask.

GRIT

Grit is a combination of courage and resolve. It means you’re brave enough to do something and you’ve made a firm decision that you’re going to do it.

When you’re driven by grit, you aren’t standing back weighing his talent versus your talent and her tools versus your tools. You suit up and you go after whatever you’re after.

A lot of people who have a lot of talent aren’t using it because fear is holding them back.

A lot of people would like to be a writer, a photographer, or an influencer, and they have the skills. But they can’t make themselves commit to go through what it takes to get there.

More important than who’s best, is who has who has what it takes to be in the game.

STAMINA

Determination gets you to the door. It gets in the game.

Stamina determines whether you stay the course.

You need stamina to stay on the job until what needs to be done gets done.

You need stamina to get up day after day and put in the necessary work, even when that work is thankless and there aren’t immediate rewards.

A lot of the people who made it didn’t get there because they were the most talented. They made it because they kept showing up when others had gotten off track or quit.

It doesn’t matter how sharp a person’s skills are if they aren’t around to use them.

Stamina equals staying power, and a lot of talented people don’t have it.

STRATEGY

We’re all familiar with the storyline about the guy who is a star athlete but a moron.

He can’t develop the plays, negotiate endorsements or manage his money. If he isn’t surrounded by people with sense, he’ll go down fast. Skills will not save him.

That storyline also applies to creatives.

If a person has skills to crank out the work but she doesn’t have the rest of the package, there’s no need to worry about her.

Naked talent is not enough to succeed.

Winning takes strategy and the ingenuity to tweak that strategy as needed.

PROOF

A lot of talented people are sitting back with their arms crossed waiting for someone to make an offer. Once that happens, they plan to stand up and put on a show.

That’s an example of a strategy that needs revisiting.

Some talented people think all they need to do is toss out stats, experience and big names in their network or on their resume. They think those things are testimony of what they’re capable of doing.

Other talented people plow their effort into branding and marketing instead of performance and products. They believe all they need is the right image and a good pitch.

None of these people compare to the person who shows up with proof.

“No one is going to give a damn about your resume; they want to see what you have made with your own little fingers.” Austin Kleon ~ Show Your Work.

Newbies are always asking what’s the best way to break into a market or get freelance clients.

The answer:  Create a strong body of work and show it.

Even if your work isn’t published or recognized by an authority in your field, it will speak much louder and get you much further than someone who only has a sales pitch with nothing to back it up.

Presence

Maya Angelou told us, “Pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.”

“Pursue” is an active word. Before anyone you can captivate the crowd, you have to attract an audience.

A lot of extremely talented people are too quiet for their skills to matter.

They’re clinging to the belief that as long as they’re good enough they’ll eventually get noticed.

There’s too much vying for people’s attention for any of us to sit back and think we’ll be discovered without making an effort to be seen.

If you’re willing to call attention to yourself and to your work, chances are good that you’re going to find a crowd that appreciates it.

And if you keep grinding and pushing your name and work out there,  chances are also good that crowd is going to grow–even though there are people out there more talented than you.

Don’t Forget: No Risk, No Empire