NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang said great achievers often share a simple but powerful trait, the ability to quickly let go of the last mistake or triumph and refocus on what comes next, a mindset he said helps build resilience.

Huang Compares Success To Game Resets

Speaking at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business' Dean's Speaker Series in 2023, Huang compared top performers to elite athletes who must reset after every play, whether the last one was a touchdown or a fumble, because the next play still demands complete attention.

Huang described the ability to "forget the last moment" as a kind of superpower. By letting the past stay in the past, he suggested, people avoid being dragged down by setbacks and can move faster toward the next problem that needs solving. He added that he personally has an "incredible ability to forget," a trait that has helped him steer Nvidia through decades of technical disruption, failed bets and volatile market swings.

"And so you just gotta let the past be the past, and that helps you with your resilience. And so long as you love the work that you do, you'll be able to keep on carrying on," Huang said.

Later Speeches Reinforce Resilience Message

That message has echoed through Huang's later speeches. At Caltech's 2024 commencement, Huang said his "ability to endure pain and suffering" and his "ability to handle setbacks" were among his core "superpowers." And at Stanford's 2024 SIEPR Economic Summit, he argued that "low expectations and high resilience" matter because greatness often comes from people who have suffered setbacks.

From Denny's Shifts To Nvidia's Rise

Huang's own story helps explain why. A 9-year-old Huang moved from Taiwan to the United States and faced bullying in Kentucky, and began working as a dishwasher at popular diner-style restaurant chain Denny's as a teenager.

NVIDIA later commemorated the San Jose Denny's, where its founders sketched out the company's beginnings. Today, Nvidia is worth about $4.3 trillion, according to Reuters market data, a long way from dishwashing shifts and inexpensive diner coffee.

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