SubscribeI’ve come to realize over time that [average ability + love of what you do] can greatly outperform [superior ability + average interest in what you do]. I’m convinced that deep interest triggers some truly magical neurochemical changes in your brain that allow for top performance.
For example, in medical school I’ve seen students of average intelligence, but with a keen passion for learning medicine, score 99th percentile on national board exams while incredibly bright students (who were not as passionate, but still highly motivated to perform well) scored 70-80th percentile. And both groups put in the same hours studying.
The quote in the post title is taken from a Commencement address given by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, to Stanford University students on June 12, 2005. I’ve heard quite a few graduation speeches before, but this one ranks near the top. Highly recommended; you can read it here.
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The impact of motivation on productivity is completely overlooked on tests of intelligence. The assumption among a majority of psychometrists must be that motivation is not part of intelligence. Yet, I see no essential division between doing and wanting or, differently stated, being able to do and wanting to do. On the contrary, it seems obvious that not wanting to do something or having no clear motivation in the direction of a specific accomplishment hinders a person from performing to the best of their ability. Therefore, who is to say what level of ability a person has on any given type of mental task?
Excellent point, Uberkuh