Seemingly, everybody has their own version of secrets of success. Angela Duckworth shares that and more in her psychological theory of achievement; only hers is backed by research study. She terms the common factor in success as “grit.” In this work, she shares a way of quantifying grit (called the Grit Scale) methods to develop it in people.
At the outset, she seeks to overthrow the idea that some people are just naturally more talented and therefore succeed more. Instead, she adopts a more nuanced view that passion and perseverance are developed over time by deliberate goal-directed effort. Then she writes about how parents, teachers, and coaches can develop grit in the young. In this theory, she provides an abundant amount of real-world stories of success that illustrate these principles – stories like triumphs and failures in professional football, of excellence in military education, and of everyday people inspired to overcome obstacles.
Duckworth even addresses the limitations of grit. She admits that there is more to life than just grit – such as happiness. (However, she still contends that grit and happiness have a positive correlation.) She talks about her own family – her parents and her children – and her desire to develop characteristics of grit in her children. She stops short of being a full-fledged Tiger Mom as she tries to curate independent choice-making skills in her children.
Obviously, stories of success are a large part of human culture. On a stroll through almost any bookstore, one can spot numerous books on success. Few, if any, possess the depth of thought and empirical research that Duckworth’s has. For these efforts, she was awarded a recent MacArther “Genius” Grant. Few theories of success have the depth of impact that hers has either. Her interest is benevolently centered around cultivating a better life for the next generation.
One could fault her on being too focused on the need to center upon one huge goal. She does not adequately deal with success stories (like Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, or Saint Augustine of Hippo) where someone changes more than one field through broader focus. Her version of grit requires a specialist’s focus. In life, however, there is room for creative generalists.
Nonetheless, this treatment provides a compelling narrative of how to treat yourself and those looking up to you. I say “compelling” because it is driven by a careful study of reality and an intricate persuasive argument. Interested teachers, parents, and mentors should all give Grit a read. It’s a pleasure to work through and might just ignite some suppressed dreams into reaching their own realities.
Grit: The Power and Passion of Perseverance
by Angela Duckworth
Copyright (c) 2016
Collins
ISBN13 9781443442312
Audiobook
Genre: Psychology
www.amazon.com
angeladuckworth.com/grit-book/