Think of someone who has achieved mastery: a champion tennis player… a prima ballerina… a chess master. When you look at them, you say to yourself, “they have so much talent.”
We are in love with the ideas of talent and “giftedness.” A few lucky people are born with something amazing the rest of us don’t have. But this outlook has flaws. It can lead us to believe that achievement is impossible for those of us who aren’t born “naturally gifted.” So, you might think “I shouldn’t even try.”
But you’d be wrong. Contrary to popular belief, natural talent and intelligence appear to have only a limited impact on our achievement. Think of the people you know who seem to have so much talent, or are so smart, but don’t apply themselves.
In this article, we’re going to explore the concept of grit – a key element in predicting success.
What is Grit?
When people think of the word “grit” they usually picture someone putting in extremely hard work on a project. Dr. Angela Duckworth, the leading authority on the subject of grit, has a different definition. According to her, “Grit is a passion and perseverance for a long-term goal. Grit is about working on something you care about so much that you’re willing to stay loyal to it…it’s doing what you love, but not just falling in love―staying in love.”
Grit isn’t talent, luck, or how much you want something in the short term. It’s having an ultimate goal that you will do anything to achieve, no matter how long it takes. Grit matters most when one is pursuing a long-term goal like graduating from college, writing a novel, or any goal that takes months, years, or even decades.
How to Develop Grit
So, what does having grit look like? According to Dr. Duckworth, Grit has two main characteristics: passion and perseverance.
Passion
Passion can be defined as a strong desire for an activity you enjoy, and that’s important to you. Something that you’re willing to invest a lot of time and energy in.
To help discover something you may feel passionate about, ask yourself:
“What do I really care about?”
“What matters most to me?”
“How do I enjoy spending my time?”
You start by identifying your interests, but then you have to try them out. It’s not possible to predict what will capture your attention long enough to develop into a passion just by thinking about it. You have to experiment and actually engage in the activity. Eventually, you’ll find an interest that deepens into a passion.
Perseverance
The next element of grit is perseverance. This is defined as persistence in doing something, despite difficulties or delay in achieving success. When you persevere, you demonstrate a commitment to do whatever it takes.
So, when you are willing to maintain your effort, and your interest in pursuing a goal that you feel passionate about – despite failure or adversity – you have grit.
While grit is important, it’s not the only predictor of success. To achieve any worthwhile, long-term goal, you need to develop these habits and traits as well.
Purpose
Focus on a purpose. You’re more likely to stick to an activity if you believe it really matters, not just to yourself, but to others as well.
When working towards any goal, you can expect to face self-doubt, problems, and even failure along the way. You’re more likely to keep going if you believe your efforts have significance and contribute to something larger than yourself.
Courage
Have courage. Don’t be afraid to fail. If you are pursuing any difficult and worthwhile goal, you can expect that failure will be part of the process. Recognize that it doesn’t have to be permanent. Have the courage to pursue your goals, and learn from your failures instead of fearing them.
Self-Control
Practice self-control. This is the ability to manage your behavior, your emotions, and your attention when you are faced with temptation. When you practice self-control, you align your actions with your goals, despite wanting to do something easier, or more pleasurable.
Resilience
Develop resilience. When something goes wrong, how long does it take you to bounce back? Being resilient means that you don’t overreact to rejection, disappointment, setbacks, or failure. These things will affect you, but you’re able to recover quickly. Let’s face it, when you’re going after something big, you will face adversity. Resilience will help you adapt and cope with whatever challenges come your way.
Conclusion: How to Develop Grit
In summary, to become grittier, you should develop a passion – something that will maintain your interest over time. In addition, you need perseverance, a commitment to put in the effort until the goal is achieved – despite any challenges you may face. To ensure your success, you also need to develop purpose, courage, self-control, and resilience.
To learn more about how to develop grit, we highly recommend reading the book by Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
If you found this article helpful, you may also enjoy this article on How to Develop a Growth Mindset, another key character of successful people.
Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter to get notifications when we publish a new article or video.
