Summary of Grit by Angela Duckworth

What is Grit?

Author of Grit, Angela Duckworth’s research shows that highly successful folks have ferocious determination, resilience, and a clear direction. In a word, they are gritty. Which turns out to be a counter-cultural finding.

In the US, studies have shown that we appreciate intelligence and talent over hard work. We love naturals. We love the story of Simone Biles being supernaturally kinesthetically aware at age 3, not the story of hours and hours in the gym. The problem with focusing on uncovering talent is that it distracts us from what contributes to success according to Duckworth: years of play, followed by years of practice and perseverance, development of a passion, and finally living with purpose.

Statistically, it is difficult to untangle how much play, practice, passion, and purpose is inherent to an individual or a family culture and how much can be taught. Still, two things are clear from the research:

1) people of all ages can learn how to be grittier, and

2) you can’t learn ‘natural talent.’

Hence, why I was escorted out of poetry class.

Duckworth is quick to point out that grit isn’t the only thing that matters to having a flourishing life—-it is just one of many personality characteristics. When asked to pick greatness or goodness, Duckworth picks goodness, but hopefully these aren’t mutually exclusive. All that is to say, let’s not discount kindness, creativity, and emotional intelligence.

So, with that… this week we’ll cover the lifecycle of grit - how it is developed. Next week we’ll cover how you can foster grit in your kiddos.

The Lifecycle of Grit:

​HOPE

Hope, otherwise known as a ‘growth mindset’ or optimism, is the underlying current for gritty people. To believe that things will get better is a dose of motivation. It’s a slug of Gatorade when things get tough.

A growth mindset is one where you believe that people can change—-you can get smarter. You can learn to learn. The opposite is a fixed mindset, where one obstacle can derail you because you don’t think there is any way around it; setbacks signify that you are not good enough. With a growth mindset, every obstacle is an opportunity to learn and get stronger.

In one of the famous rat studies, rats were subjected to shocks (electric ones, not this). One group of rats were trapped and could not escape, and another group had a way to escape the shocks. Weeks later, those rats that were initially trapped didn’t try to run even when there was a clear exit; they showed decreased learning and creativity (so much as rats can show creativity…). This effect was dubbed ‘learned helplessness,’ when you can’t control your suffering, you are helpless and hopeless and can lead to depression (this sentence sounds like a lyric from The Smiths).

On the other hand, there is ‘learned hopefulness,’ which is the ability or willingness to prescribe a reason for suffering to be passing.

Studies find plentiful benefits to being an optimist: better grades, less likely to drop out of school, healthier through middle age, longer life, more satisfied with marriages, better job performance.

PLAY

Grit starts with play. Surprising? Babies and kids’ appetite for novelty is evolutionarily very beneficial. It is the drive for novelty that leads to exploration and learning. Through play, kids begin to explore potential future interests. By keeping it fun, they are rewarded for exploring more and more. Bike polo, anyone?

PRACTICE & PERSEVERANCE

At some point—-around 6th or 7th grade—-your kid’s interest might start to narrow and deepen, at which point practice begins to have a multiplier effect. Kiddo likes something, they practice, they get better, they hit a very pleasurable flow state, and they like the activity more.

Duckworth lets us know that not all practice is created equal. The type of practice that leads to real grit is deliberate. What does deliberate practice mean? It means intentionally improving towards a stretch goal, zeroing in on weaknesses, and consistently setting new stretch goals as others are reached. Practice is not about brute force or total hours put in. In fact, shorter practices, maintaining full concentration, are most valuable. Practice is more efficient with immediate feedback, the chance to try again, and getting sleep after learning.

PASSION

Developing interests can be messy, serendipitous, and inefficient. Same with passions. Passions are interests that you start ‘going steady’ with. It’s more than like, it’s ‘like, like!’ Much like relationships, Duckworth and other researchers point out that passion is not always, ‘love at first sight,’ ‘binge-watching Ted Lasso’ situation. It can be slow to develop and probably won’t feel perfect from the get-go. Instead, it’s something that grows and matures as skills develop. It’s not uncovering a passion, it’s developing a passion.
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PURPOSE

Purpose is the fuel that keeps the practice fire burning. It tends to make an appearance in adulthood (although some people find it earlier). In Duckworth’s words, purpose is believing that your work impacts the lives of others. The long days, the setbacks, the meetings that could have been emails, buying a mug that says ‘this meeting could have been an email,’ the sacrifices are worth it because the work matters to other people.

Purpose, like play, has an evolutionary advantage. On the one hand, seeking pleasure helps the population survive food and the next generation and whatnot. But the drive to build community and serve people also helps survival by promoting cooperation: it’s easier to catch a deer if ten people are hunting. And so, the desire to connect is as basic as the need for food. That is not to say that gritty people don’t seek pleasure; they do. They are just more focused on purpose than the average population.