For the last several years, you haven’t been able to escape hearing about grit. That’s the theory that hard work, determination, and perseverance are what truly counts, more so than talent or intelligence.
It started with a 2007 academic paper lead-authored by Angela Duckworth. The topic took off with Duckworth’s 2013 Ted Talk, which led to her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, published last week.
Problem is, Duckworth seems to have lost control of her own work. Well-meaning educators have attempted to apply shallow interpretations of the tenets of grit in school curriculums, with less than stellar results.
For one thing, grit seems to resemble conscientiousness, one of the classic Big Five traits in psychology. In that sense, grit has a nominal effect on test scores, while IQ accounts for nearly 40%.
Funny thing is, Duckworth is not bothered by the reporting of these findings. To the contrary, it’s to be expected.
“That report was about, ‘Well, maybe grit’s not that important,’” Duckworth said. “And my thought when I read that was — how many kids who are 16 years old are passionate about their standardized reading and math scores for school?”
That’s right, grit is about passion and perseverance. Perseverance gets all the attention, but passion is likely more important and the reason why people keep going.
Doing what you’re truly interested in instead of what you should is a recurring theme here at Further, because it’s the secret behind all intrinsic motivation. Do what excites you, not what society, your parents, or your spouse wants you to do.
I live by that creed … just ask my parents and wife. 🙂
- Don’t Believe the Hype About Grit, Pleads the Scientist Behind the Concept
- This Is The Research-Backed Way To Increase Grit
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Keep going-
Brian Clark
Further
further: health
Mind Your Mouth
On average, you make more than 200 decisions about food each day. However, you’re only aware of a small fraction of them. The rest are performed by your unconscious mind, and can lead to so-called mindless eating.
13 Science-Backed Tips to Stop Mindless Eating
Fake Food
That Parmesan cheese is actually wood, that honey has corn syrup, and the cake is a lie. There’s no guarantee the food you’re buying at the store is what it says it is, so keep an eye out for these usual suspects if you don’t want to waste your money on fake, inferior products.
Counterfeit Foods, and How to Spot Them
Crunch Time?
As I’ve headed back to my healthy regime, I eased into it with pushups, pullups, and crunches. Turns out I should ditch the crunches for planks.
Why Are We Still Doing Crunches?
further: wealth
Quit to Win
Sometimes you need the opposite of grit, which means simply quit. Not every idea is worth sticking to, but the wrong idea almost always leads to a better one if you let it go first.
The Merits of Giving Up on Your Ideas
Routinely Great
New research reveals an effective way to get ourselves to do tough tasks. It comes down to understanding the difference between habits and routines.
A Surefire Tip For Making Yourself Do What You Need to Do
Tap the Source
A new survey finds that 71% of hiring managers say that employee referrals are their best source for finding job candidates. But only 7% of job seekers reported asking for referrals as a top strategy for landing a position.
Most People Are Afraid To Do This One Thing That Can Help Them Land Their Dream Job
further: wisdom
Speak Your Mind
Our most important topics are those that are considered verboten in 21st-century rational discussion: race, sex, violence, aggression. On the other hand, mindfulness means mindfulness of everything.
Mindfulness vs. Political Correctness
Willingly Free
“Freedom is not something that anybody can be given; freedom is something people take and people are as free as they want to be.”
James Baldwin on Freedom and How We Imprison Ourselves
Perfectly Flawed
If you sometimes struggle with who you think you should be and what you think your life should look like, you are not alone.
How I Made Peace with Perfectionism
further: sharing
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