Angela Duckworth

p>In this must-read book for anyone striving to succeed, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows parents, educators, athletes, students, and business people-both seasoned and new-that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a focused persistence called “grit.” Why do some people succeed and others fail? Sharing new insights from her landmark research on grit, MacArthur “genius” Angela Duckworth explains why talent is hardly a guarantor of success. Rather, other factors can be even more crucial such as identifying our passions and following through on our commitments. Drawing on her own powerful story as the daughter of a scientist who frequently bemoaned her lack of smarts, Duckworth describes her winding path through teaching, business consulting, and neuroscience, which led to the hypothesis that what really drives success is not “genius” but a special blend of passion and long-term perseverance. As a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Duckworth created her own “character lab” and set out to test her theory. Here, she takes readers into the field to visit teachers working in some of the toughest schools, cadets struggling through their first days at West Point, and young finalists in the National Spelling Bee. She also mines fascinating insights from history and shows what can be gleaned from modern experiments in peak performance. Finally, she shares what she’s learned from interviewing dozens of high achievers-from JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon to the cartoon editor of The New Yorker to Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll. Winningly personal, insightful, and even life-changing, Grit is a book about what goes through your head when you fall down, and how that-not talent or luck-makes all the difference.

Grit

Aamna

Jaiden Ratti

heleen de boever

Eh. There's some valuable psychological research in here, but the examples from the corporate world, used to back up and strengthen the validity of that research, were off-putting enough for me that they stood in the way of the book being revelatory, let alone inspirational.

Ivy X

Arturo Hernández

To reach success is not about being a genius, naturally gifted or extremely well connected, it’s about sticking to making something happen, committing until the end, putting your thoughts, sweet and soul into that. That’s grit. This is a very good book.

"In this must-read book for anyone striving to succeed, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows parents, educators, athletes, students, and business people--both seasoned and new--that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a focused persistence called "grit." Why do some people succeed and others fail? Sharing new insights from her landmark research on grit, MacArthur "genius" Angela Duckworth explains why talent is hardly a guarantor of success. Rather, other factors can be even more crucial such as identifying our passions and following through on our commitments. Drawing on her own powerful story as the daughter of a scientist who frequently bemoaned her lack of smarts, Duckworth describes her winding path through teaching, business consulting, and neuroscience, which led to the hypothesis that what really drives success is not "genius" but a special blend of passion and long-term perseverance. As a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Duckworth created her own "character lab" and set out to test her theory. Here, she takes readers into the field to visit teachers working in some of the toughest schools, cadets struggling through their first days at West Point, and young finalists in the National Spelling Bee. She also mines fascinating insights from history and shows what can be gleaned from modern experiments in peak performance. Finally, she shares what she's learned from interviewing dozens of high achievers--from JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon to the cartoon editor of The New Yorker to Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll. Winningly personal, insightful, and even life-changing, Grit is a book about what goes through your head when you fall down, and how that--not talent or luck--makes all the difference"--

The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Neil Murray

After being recommended this book so many times by so many different people, I now know why. This was an exceptional read due to a perfect marriage of research and personal stories that made it enjoyable and easy to read. I felt that I have taken away a lot of lessons and thoughts that I can apply to both my professional and personal (as a parent) life.

linda

I would say, “Dad, you claim I’m no genius. I won’t argue with that. You know plenty of people who are smarter than I am.” I can imagine his head nodding in sober agreement.

“But let me tell you something. I’m going to grow up to love my work as much as you love yours. I won’t just have a job; I’ll have a calling. I’ll challenge myself every day. When I get knocked down, I’ll get back up. I may not be the smartest person in the room, but I’ll strive to be the grittiest.”

And if he was still listening: “In the long run, Dad, grit may matter more than talent.”

This book was great! I’m so glad I read it, and I wish I read it earlier. It echoes a lot of the ideas from Carol Dweck’s Mindset: effort matters more than talent, and traits can be improved. 

First, we are blinded by the illusion that success comes effortlessly or naturally. However, without effort, talent is nothing more than unmet potential; talent becomes skill, and effort makes the skill productive. 

Second, it is important to envision goals as a hierarchy; it is important to be single-minded and focused in pursuing your goals, and to hold the SAME top-level goal for a long time. The grit process requires interest, practice, purpose, and hope. 

Third, interpret failure as a cue to try harder rather than as confirmation that you lack the ability to succeed. Use mistakes and problems as opportunities to get better - not reasons to quit. Think of temporary and specific causes of bad events, and permanent and pervasive causes of good events. A virtuous cycle of growth mindset, optimistic self talk, and perseverance over adversity ultimately leads to success. 

Lastly - character traits can be intrapersonal (grit, self-control), interpersonal (gratitude, social intelligence, integrity), and intellectual (curiosity and zest). While grit is most strongly correlated with academic success, it is important to have all three.

Jayme Bosio

As a professional quitter, I was interested in reading this book. I enjoyed it but doubt I will be changing my ways anytime soon.

Brian Walborn

This is a very persuasive and engaging book that discusses the hypothesis that success is not "genius" but a unique combination of perseverance and drive. I found the author thoroughly thought-provoking and a must read for all parents with children or who aspire to have them. Two thirds of the way through struck a chord with me being a father. This is less a self help book and more a psychological profile on what it takes for each of us to find our inner success and happiness-and the legacy we can leave for our children.
If you missed it the first time around, I highly recommend a revisit.

Steven Ovadia

Interesting but maybe not quite enough content for a whole book. There are lots of anecdotes and studies, but at a certain point it starts to feel belabored. It also would have been nice to see class and socioeconomic variables brought into the conversation more.

In this instant New York Times bestseller, Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent, but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.” “Inspiration for non-geniuses everywhere” (People). The daughter of a scientist who frequently noted her lack of “genius,” Angela Duckworth is now a celebrated researcher and professor. It was her early eye-opening stints in teaching, business consulting, and neuroscience that led to her hypothesis about what really drives success: not genius, but a unique combination of passion and long-term perseverance. In Grit, she takes us into the field to visit cadets struggling through their first days at West Point, teachers working in some of the toughest schools, and young finalists in the National Spelling Bee. She also mines fascinating insights from history and shows what can be gleaned from modern experiments in peak performance. Finally, she shares what she’s learned from interviewing dozens of high achievers—from JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon to New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff to Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll. “Duckworth’s ideas about the cultivation of tenacity have clearly changed some lives for the better” (The New York Times Book Review). Among Grit’s most valuable insights: any effort you make ultimately counts twice toward your goal; grit can be learned, regardless of IQ or circumstances; when it comes to child-rearing, neither a warm embrace nor high standards will work by themselves; how to trigger lifelong interest; the magic of the Hard Thing Rule; and so much more. Winningly personal, insightful, and even life-changing, Grit is a book about what goes through your head when you fall down, and how that—not talent or luck—makes all the difference. This is “a fascinating tour of the psychological research on success” (The Wall Street Journal).

Omar Fernandez

The title is the punchline, it's all about Grit. However, this book is definitely worth a read. There won't be many surprises, but rather practical advice on how to cultivate grit and why it matters. The book covers the science and research behind the importance of grit, it talks about how to cultivate it yourself, how communities and cultures contribute to this (think of West Point), and some early insights into parenting. On that last point, however, the author acknowledges that the science is not yet conclusive and more research is needed. 

Key takeaways for me: 
1. Sticking until the end with something that you start is important. 
2. Caveat to 1, you should quit when you're not interested in something. Interest is crucial. 
3. Caveat to 2, you shouldn't quit just because things got difficult and you're in a temporary low point. 

Bringing those 3 points together, the author suggests the most useful piece of advice that I got from the book. Pick up an interest and define an interval at which you will reassess whether to continue with that interest or not. It could be every 6 months, every year, etc. Within that timeframe, stick with it, particularly when it gets difficult. Then reassess. 

That way you'll develop your grit, but won't stick with something that's not a true interest for too long.

Salam Kabbani

Favorite Quote: “To be gritty is to fall down seven times and rise eight.”

In this non-fiction evaluation of passion and perseverance Angela explores why some humans are grittier than others, what that means, and how we can grow both our grit and passion.

A strong scientific read evaluating human behavior at its core.

Not a good fit if you are looking for something light and breezy; however, if you are looking to strengthen your willpower muscles, or those of others that you influence, I.e. your children or students, this is the perfect read for you.

Ivaylo Durmonski

The boring scientific definition of grit by the author, Angela Duckworth, is the following: perseverance and passion for long-term goals. But after reading the book I can say it’s more like this: the ability to endure the troubles coming along your lifelong goals. But since my aim is to summarize stuff I can pack it in this short statement: To pick goals and to finish them.

People are great at setting goals but suck when they have to finish what they’ve started. But exactly the latter is what distinguishes winners from losers.

The whole point of the book is to inspire you to take action.

By throwing the idea that talent is the key factor for achieving success in the trash, Angela Duckworth wants to explain that no one is born talented. Successful people were simply disciplined enough to pursue their dreams regardless of the misfortunes.

My main takeaway from the book Grit is the following: choose a task worth doing and keep getting better at it.

https://durmonski.com/book-summaries/...

 Bruna Acioly Leão

I agree with the main idea of this book and I got something out of the way it was presented, but ultimately it felt a little bit repetitive and the anecdotes were a little bit of a privileged narrative.

Not that Duckworth doesn't acknowledge that; in the book she does mention how the idea of grit is limited and not the only thing pertaining to success, since obviously if you don't have the right opportunities it doesn't matter how gritty you are.

However, and that is a belief I think I already had, which was backed by her research, in a similar environment with similar goals and what opportunities, people who have grit, that is, people who have the perseverance to stick to their goals on the long run and even if things get harder, will achieve higher rates of success. 

Another important topic is the growth mindset, as opposed to the fixed mindset, that is, a belief that you can constantly improve your skills and talents, as opposed to believing you have a predetermined set of talents and if you fail at something first "it just isn't for you". Instead, if gritty people fail at something they care about, they insist on it until they get possibly even better at it than people who are talented, but may not be gritty.

My favorite stories that illustrated those points were Will Smith's treadmill anecdote and the story of the brick layers and the differences between job, career and calling.

The point I mostly got from this was: we all have potential for growth. If you really care about something, if you really want to achieve it, failing once doesn’t mean you fail forever.

UNLOCK THE KEY TO SUCCESSIn this must-read for anyone seeking to succeed, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth takes us on an eye-opening journey to discover the true qualities that lead to outstanding achievement. Winningly personal, insightful and powerful, Grit is a book about what goes through your head when you fall down, and how that - not talent or luck - makes all the difference.'Impressively fresh and original' Susan Cain

Why Passion and Resilience are the Secrets to Success

Marcel

Eigentlich gut, aber irgendwie 150 Seiten zu lang. In der Mitte hörten die interessanten Sachen auf.

Grit

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