Grit : The Power of Passion and Perseverance

As expected

Full of long explanations of psychological studies …, could be better to just include a reference to those studies so we can search for them ourselves if we need to,and get to the main ideas briefly.

Wow... I think everyone should read this book, it teaches you how to build better habits and practices while sharing the experiences of the most successful people in various fields. It really simplifies become the person you want to be and self improvement. This should be taught in shool.

At the outset I want to tell to those parents and teachers who worry about their lesser talented children. Here is Grit by Angela Duckworth, which is a hope for them. The book is about zeal and hard work in achievement of goal. The author in her research on children found that the I.Q. a gold standard for prediction of intellectual excellence falls short when one works with passion and persistence. In other words, the lesser talented children putting hard work in their studies perform better than the talented children. Her research adds something important to the repertoire of positive psychology, a solid core to achieve a goal in life. It is more substantial than the hollow concept of happiness. Grit is an antidote for those who feel lesser talented; studies show that with hard work and perseverance they can trump the more talented. Duckworth provided a new vision for dropout problem in schools, especially in the developed world. There was nothing wrong with the school and the teachers, rather the problem was the ‘character’ of the students dropping out: disregard for norms and carelessness to work. Passion, Duckworth says, is working toward goal in abiding, loyal and steady way. Grit allows one to be at the top level for a long time, and is accompanied by feeling of joy. Grittier people experience more flow. Let me propose that they develop qualities of people engaging in nishkama karma. One remains in problem solving mode, so improving his/her skill, choosing goals after thorough deliberations. Grittier children, research says, work harder and enjoy it. This is startling, cherishing rewards of labour. More astonishing is the finding that people suffering set-backs, when engage in some work with passion and greater effort, not only are able to bear the pain, they excel from normal people. The hope for these people lies in their expectation that “our own efforts can improve our future.” This finding of Duckworth supports the work of her mentor Martin Seligman, a pioneer in helplessness theory of depression, and today leading the positive psychology movement. Those who are not ready to give up in face of formidable problems, have key to success in their cognition. In other words, it is learning from adversity in life. Above all, Duckworth through her impeccable researches, narrated beautifully in the book, shows that grit allows one feel that “one can really change.” It is a novel way towards “growth mindsets.” If I may conclude, my karma, the effort I put to my work, is my life.

Kaliteli baski. Kusursuz urun.

Excellent livre. Je n’avais aucune connaissance préalable sur le sujet et j’en ai beaucoup appris. Anglais simple et compréhensible, très bonne explication du sujet, de la base scientifique et de son application au quotidien. Il est cité par de nombreuses autres sources. A lire!

On more than 400 pages or 13 chapters, the author takes on a journey on what „grit“ means, on how to grow it and apply it to your life. The first part of the book explains what grit means, that talent can distract while effort counts twice. Mrs. Duckworth explains how to measure grit, also scientifically, that great deeds come out of consistent practices, exercises etc. which is often experienced as „talent“ (see great achievements in sports), which makes it easier to process for the spectator. Being a parent of two young kids, I especially liked the third part on how growing grit inside your house / family / surroundings, how to train your kids, not being the enabler for them, but supporting them in their decision and coaxing them on following a regular hobby (like playing an instrument, doing certain sports...), especially setting rules on keeping this activity for a certain amount of time. What I really liked about the book is the connection to other literature I read in the past years, e.g. the the often cited growth mindset (read the book by Dr. Carol Dweck, you can also check my review), consistent habit building, leaving your comfort zone, constant life-long learning etc. This approach might resp. will collide with certain mindsets like the famous „work-life-balance“ (which lies, as perceived by a lot of persons on the life side instead of being a dynamic balance), but I am a great fan of the thoughts presented. I really liked the very detailed notes section, the writing style, the small personal anecdotes of Mrs. Duckworth, I can totally recommend this book.