Grit by Angela Duckworth ## Introduction to Grit When I was growing up, my father often told me that I was "no genius." Like many people, he believed that talent is inherent and fixed. However, through my work and research, I have come to a different conclusion. In my book, "Grit," I argue that the secret to extraordinary achievement isn't talent, "genius," or IQ, but rather something I call grit. Grit is a combination of passion and perseverance for long-term goals. It's about having a sustained commitment to specific goals and the ability to work tirelessly toward those goals, even when faced with failure. This concept is not just a theory; it's backed by over a decade of intensive psychological research. ## The Fundamentals of Grit To understand grit, we need to break it down into its two key components: passion and perseverance. Passion isn't about intense commitment for a short period; it's about pursuing the same ultimate goal in an abiding, loyal, steady way over years. Gritty people understand how all their smaller goals fit into their quest for their major goal, which guides them through life like a compass. Perseverance is about bouncing back from failure and continuing to work toward your goals despite obstacles. For example, Bob Mankoff, a longtime New Yorker cartoonist, sent thousands of cartoons to the magazine in the 1970s before his first one was accepted. This kind of perseverance is what sets gritty people apart. I developed the Grit Scale, a tool that measures grit through ten questions. This scale assesses your commitment to hard work and your ability to persevere. It's important to note that grit scores can change over time, indicating that both passion and perseverance can be learned and developed. ## The Four Psychological Assets of Grit Grit is fueled by four essential psychological assets: interest, practice, purpose, and hope. ### Interest Interest is the starting point of passion. It's about finding something you care deeply about and are willing to stay loyal to over time. As I say, "It's not about falling in love; it's about staying in love." When you're interested in something, you're more likely to put in the effort required to excel. ### Practice Practice, particularly deliberate practice, is crucial for developing skills. Deliberate practice involves identifying your weaknesses and working as hard as possible to improve them. This type of practice is grueling and repetitive but leads to mastery. When gritty people use their skills, they often experience a state of total immersion and concentration known as flow. ### Purpose Purpose means that your work is connected to the well-being of others. It's the conviction that your work matters not just to you but also to others. Purpose helps sustain interest over long periods because it gives your work a deeper meaning. For instance, when asked what they are doing, a bricklayer might say, "I am laying bricks," another might say, "I am building a church," and the third might say, "I am building the house of God." The third bricklayer has a sense of purpose that goes beyond just the task at hand. ### Hope Hope is the perseverance aspect of grit. It's the ability to keep going even when things are difficult or when you have doubts. Hope allows you to bounce back from setbacks and continue working toward your goals. When you get knocked down, if you stay down, grit loses. If you get up, grit prevails. ## Developing Grit Developing grit is not just about individual effort; it can also be fostered by parents, educators, and leaders. Here are some strategies to help others cultivate grit: ### The Hard Thing Rule Within families, I recommend the "Hard Thing Rule," where each member selects a daunting goal and commits to putting in the hard work required to achieve it. This rule helps build resilience and perseverance. ### Growth Mindset Believing in a growth mindset—that your abilities and intelligence can evolve through dedication and hard work—is essential. This mindset encourages you to see challenges as opportunities for growth rather than threats to your ego. ### Role Models and Feedback Finding role models who live purposefully and seeking constructive feedback are also crucial. Role models can inspire and guide you, while feedback helps you identify areas for improvement and work on them. ## The Importance of Grit in Real-Life Scenarios Grit is not just a theoretical concept; it has real-world implications. For example, at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, academic scores and athletic performance do not predict who makes it through the grueling six-week summer program called Beast Barracks. However, grit does. Many candidates who were expected to excel dropped out early, while others who were not as highly rated persevered and succeeded. In various fields, including the military, sales, business, and sports, people who showed early potential sometimes dropped out, and some very successful people didn’t start off showing the most promise. The common trait among the successful ones was grit. ## Conclusion: The Power of Grit The importance of grit is good news for everyone. If inherent talent were the only route to success, most people would have to give up, since few people are born geniuses. But since grit is more important—and it’s possible to become grittier over time—anyone can achieve success if they work hard enough. Grit is a marathon, not a sprint. It's about maintaining your determination and motivation over long periods despite experiences with failure and adversity. As I reflect on my own journey, winning a MacArthur "Genius Grant" for proving that grit matters more than talent, I am reminded that success is within reach for anyone willing to put in the effort. So, ask yourself: Do you have the grit to chase your dreams and turn them into reality? The answer lies in your ability to combine passion and perseverance, to stay loyal to your goals, and to keep going even when the journey gets tough. With grit, you can achieve greatness, no matter where you start.

Here are the key insights from Angela Duckworth's book "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance": ## Grit Over Talent - Success is more dependent on grit, a combination of passion and perseverance, than on innate talent or IQ. ## Components of Grit - Grit consists of two main components: passion (a sustained commitment to long-term goals) and perseverance (the ability to work tirelessly toward goals despite failures). ## The Grit Scale - Duckworth developed the Grit Scale, a tool to measure an individual's grit through questions assessing their commitment to hard work and perseverance. Grit scores can change over time, indicating that grit can be learned and developed. ## Four Psychological Assets of Grit - Grit is fueled by four psychological assets: - **Interest**: Finding something you care deeply about and staying loyal to it over time. - **Practice**: Deliberate practice to improve skills, involving identifying weaknesses and working hard to improve them. - **Purpose**: Connecting your work to the well-being of others, giving your work a deeper meaning. - **Hope**: The ability to keep going despite difficulties and setbacks. ## Developing Grit - Grit can be developed through strategies such as the "Hard Thing Rule" (committing to daunting goals), adopting a growth mindset (believing abilities can evolve through hard work), and seeking role models and constructive feedback. ## Real-Life Implications - Grit has real-world implications, as seen in various fields like the military, sales, business, and sports, where it predicts success better than academic scores or athletic performance. ## Growth Mindset - A growth mindset is crucial, as it encourages seeing challenges as opportunities for growth rather than threats to ego, and believes that abilities and intelligence can evolve through dedication and hard work. ## Role of Environment - Parents, educators, and leaders can foster grit by providing supportive environments, role models, and constructive feedback. ## Long-Term Commitment - Grit is a marathon, not a sprint; it involves maintaining determination and motivation over long periods despite failures and adversities. ## Accessibility of Success - Since grit can be developed over time, success is within reach for anyone willing to put in the effort, regardless of their initial talent or IQ.