I know a 60 year old man with a 150ish IQ who owns nothing, is $4,000 in debt for a van, and hasn't worked in 20 years. He has tons of crazy pipe dreams and ambitions to be great, but he doesn't work towards them at all. Diligence > Intelligence.
I know a lawyer of 16 years with a 145 IQ who is still making 55K a year. Ambition and diligence go hand in hand. She got the job right out of college and grew complacent, and now rarely attempts to find a better position somewhere else. Starting her own firm is almost certainly not going to happen. Other than diligence, lack of courage is also an issue there. Quitting your job and trying to build a clientele is scary.
I also know a very bright lady who cleans motels because she can't deal with people and just doesn't like working that hard. She works a few hours a day, at three separate places, with long breaks in between. She probably knows more about computers than I do; she's been manipulating them since before I was born, but she hates pressure, she hates deadlines, and she lacks confidence.
Trying to list all the unpublished author-hopefuls I know who just stopped submitting stuff would be an exercise in futility.
I know a lawyer of 16 years with a 145 IQ who is still making 55K a year. Ambition and diligence go hand in hand. She got the job right out of college and grew complacent, and now rarely attempts to find a better position somewhere else. Starting her own firm is almost certainly not going to happen. Other than diligence, lack of courage is also an issue there. Quitting your job and trying to build a clientele is scary.
I also know a very bright lady who cleans motels because she can't deal with people and just doesn't like working that hard. She works a few hours a day, at three separate places, with long breaks in between. She probably knows more about computers than I do; she's been manipulating them since before I was born, but she hates pressure, she hates deadlines, and she lacks confidence.
Trying to list all the unpublished author-hopefuls I know who just stopped submitting stuff would be an exercise in futility.