Develop Grit to Achieve Your Goals (2024)

When Dr Angela Duckworth started her research career, she wanted to find the answer to one specific question. Who is successful, and why?

What separates people that go on to become successful from those that never get anywhere? Is it talent or effort that makes a difference?

In her research, Angela studied elite military graduates, national spelling bee champions, and top corporate salespeople to understand what was the predictor of their success. Surprisingly, she found that talent did not explain who was successful. There was no lack of ability amongst the people who didn’t make it. Rather, the attitude towards overcoming challenges explained who went the furthest. Those who got through simply refused to give up. No matter their talent, they always kept going. They had grit.

‘Grittiness is the combination of very high perseverance and passion for long-term goals. A gritty person works strenuously toward challenges, maintaining effort and interest over years despite failure, adversity, and plateaus in progress. The gritty individual approaches achievement as a marathon; his or her advantage is stamina. Whereas disappointment or boredom are signals to others that it is time to change trajectory and cut losses, the gritty individual stays the course.’ — Angela Duckworth

Grit is a mix of perseverance and passion that help you achieve long-term goals. When you’re gritty, you don’t give up even in the face of difficulties and setbacks. As you have a great passion for the goal, you keep moving forward despite obstacles.

This tendency not to abandon tasks is a great predictor of success. When you try to achieve a challenging goal, you’re likely to meet problems and obstacles on the way. But the gritty person sustains their effort anyway. Grit is stamina, not just for the week, or for the month, but years.

The good news, according to Duckworth, is that grit is not something you’re born with, but something you can train and develop. You can develop your grit by putting yourself in demanding situations of increasing…