Why is golfer Bernhard Langer so successful? Senior Writer Randall Mell asks this question on a recent blog post online at Golf Channel. Along with the usual answers such as hard work and excellent health, Langer lists a reason people don’t often mention: a lack of personal tumult. “I haven’t had marital problems, or a divorce. I’ve had the same coach for 35 years. I’ve had the same manager for 35 years. I’ve had the same wife for 27 years. Obviously, I’ve had to work hard on my game, but I think if other areas of your life are not right, you will have a hard time concentrating and performing,” said Langer. Langer has won 83 professional titles and trophies over a career spanning more than 30 years. Mell writes Langer is proof that emotional stability is as helpful as good golfing technique and years of dedication. Divorce, defiant teenagers, money problems, and dying relatives all are hazards for professional athletes. This type of tumult is why people ponder Tiger W...

The idea of talents or special gift is a myth, writes Tony Schwartz in a recent blog post at the Harvard Business Review. Have you stopped yourself from trying new activities or working hard at difficult pursuits by telling yourself you lack talent for the specific endeavor? It’s time to reroute this way of thinking. Schwartz shares the comment of Will Durant, who was channeling Aristotle’s thoughts, “We are what we repeatedly do.” That’s right. We aren’t born tennis players, star quarterbacks or successful CEOs. And we don’t need an innate ability to master a task. Schwartz, president and CEO of The Energy Project and the author of The Way We're Working Isn't Working, has found in his work with executives “that it is possible to build any given skill or capacity in the same systematic way we do a muscle: push past your comfort zone, and then rest.” We’ve talked before about the idea of 10,000 hours: many researchers believe 10,000 hours of practice is th...