Grit

I loved reading about grit–that “passion plus perseverance toward long-term goals” is the key to success–by Angela Duckworth, who pioneered the concept. I particularly loved reading the section in her book, Parenting for Grit, which supports the parenting style of every parent I interviewed who raised entrepreneurial children.

Rather than Permissive Parenting or Authoritarian Parenting, she supports what she calls Wise Parenting, when there’s a “carefully struck balance between affection and respect on the one hand and firmly enforced expectations on the other.”

This is another excellent book that I highly recommend. As a researcher and psychologist, Dr. Duckworth paves the way for anyone to understand the "secret" to success–whether you are a student, a parent, a business owner, or a CEO. The key to achieving desired results is not strictly based on talent. In her research, Dr. Duckworth reveals that it is a blend of both passion and persistence, which she calls "grit.” I’ve learned to incorporate "grittiness" into all my important projects. (She offers a grittiness assessment that is quite useful).

The book has many real-life examples of what it takes… show more.

Chapter 3: “Effort Counts Twice” makes me feel seen. I don't consider myself to be the most talented designer or writer, but I’ll rewrite a story over and over until it’s just right.

Hard work is a common theme in Grit, and this chapter provides examples of teachers, artists, and businesspeople, all achieving success through hard work, instead of relying on natural talent.

As someone who went through tremendous hardship early in life, I can attest to the power of grit and resiliency.

This book does a great job highlighting one of the key superpowers I developed which propelled me in my career: developing thick skin!

Reading this book will help you develop strategies for how to do this for yourself!

Dr. Angela Duckworth’s New York Times best seller identifies the key ingredients for success – whether you are an NFL professional football player, or an aspiring Army officer at West Point. Grit plays a key role in achieving one’s goals, and Duckworth shows by both testimony and research how these traits develop one’s “grit,” and, in turn, develop one’s opportunities for success. 

As much as I would love to plagiarize and quote long passages from this text, I encourage you to unearth these treasures yourself. In sum, her whole book is about the myth of genius or the myth of talent. Now, this may not be a new concept as Nietzsche was writing about the cult of “genius” in the 19th century. He said, "For if we think of genius as something magical, we are not obliged to compare ourselves and find ourselves lacking.” What he means is that defining others as genius or talented lets us off the hook for working… show more.

What does it take to be successful? There is a tendency in society to answer that with the response “natural talent”. In reality it is a bit different. Of course talent plays a significant role. But Angela Duckworth argues another – often an overlooked factor – of effort, which she calls “Grit”. In her research, she demonstrates that where talent counts once, effort counts twice. Intertwining studies from business, sport, and academia she suggests the power of combining deliberate, purposeful, and systematic practice allows you to improve in relation to your goal. Ultimately, grit means getting “better every day”. Duckworth… show more.

Grit is your ability to stick with long-term goals. It’s what makes you keep going when things get difficult. I’ve always assumed that grit plays a big part in your success. But it wasn’t until I read this book that I realized how crucial this ability truly is. It taught me that grit is the best predictor of success that researchers have found. And it provided fascinating insights into how to improve my own grit.

When famed tennis pro and coach Pancho Segura was asked why he chose to coach Jimmy Connors when he was a teenager (Connors wasn’t one of the top junior players), Segura said that Connors had more desire than any of the others. While he didn’t use the word “grit,” that’s what he meant. Grit, which Duckworth defines as a combination of passion and perseverance, is usually what separates high achievers from others in the same field. That’s based on her research with thousands of people, including school kids, pro football players, West Point cadets, and National Spelling Bee finalists. She… show more.

Athletes talk about going for the burn, meaning exercising to the point of breaking down muscles for the purpose of having them rebuild themselves yet stronger. Duckworth believes in a mental and emotional version of this, claiming that people who succeed often are people who are obsessed with closure, with completion, with achievement. They will stick to a task with dogged determination until it is accomplished. The image of the harried artist or creative genius who hasn’t bathed in a week, has forgotten to eat, and has sequestered herself or himself in a garret while working on a project is… show more.