The Truth Of Grit: What Is It And How It Predicts Success

Introduction

In the world today, there is a factor that differentiates the people who overcome the obstacles in their way, and the people who fail to meet expectations. This specific trait is known as grit. Grit is characterized as the determination and passion that enables someone to accomplish long term goals.

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This factor, depending on if you have it or not, has been shown in many situations to either improve or decline a person's achievements. Ultimately, grit is the motivation seen regularly through the people who tend to succeed in any subject they put their minds to and put work in.

Implications of Grit and Success

Around us, there are many protruding signs of the people that contain grit and the ones who don’t. Angela Duckworth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, has gone into extensive research about the implications of grit in the world and how it predicts success. She describes grit by saying “ Grit is the passion and perseverance for very long term goals. “( Duckworth 2013) Duckworth illustrates a clear meaning of grit in this quote. She describes it as the motivational element in everyone's life that helps them strive for greatness. She then proves that grit is a actual aspect in our lives by gathering research on people with grit versus without it and seeing where they go in life.Duckworth did this by going to many different areas like military camps and spelling bees and determining who would excel the most by how much grit they had.

She backs her research up by saying “ In all those very different contexts, one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success, and it wasn’t social intelligence, wasn't good looks, physical health, or IQ. It was Grit.”(Duckworth 2013) In this excerpt, Duckworth shows immense proof that grit is an constant component when people tend to flourish. No matter the way you look, act, or think, if you have grit, you will be able to prosper. Studies by Ashford University has supported the theory of grit by stating that it is “comprised of motivation, self-control, a positive mindset “ and that grit “ can be influential in student success. “ Overall, grit throughout workspaces alike is classified as a common variable among profitable people and is proven to exist, but maybe in more than one way.

Characteristical Definition of Grit

Grit is not only just passion, it is the many characteristics that bring grit together. Traits such as courage, endurance, resilience, conscientiousness, and excellence are the main components of grit. Margaret Perlis supports this in her article “ 5 Characteristics of Grit How many do you have? “ by saying, “ The characteristics of grit outlined below include Duckworth’s findings as well as some that defy measurement. Duckworth herself is the first to say that the essence of grit remains elusive. “ Perlis describes the true complexity of grit in this quote and supports Duckworth’s theory of grit. She writes here that grits characteristic can be basic personality traits, therefore being unmeasurable. She also goes into immense detail about the characteristics of grit, describing each one and how it affects the way people persevere. She gives solid structure for it in an equation, “ Optimism + Confidence + Creativity = Resilience = Hardiness =(+/- )Grit. “ Margaret details here the evidence that grit is real and it uses the combined traits to summarize the true meaning of grit. She states that grit is compromised from many different traits and when combined, it is proven to help you succeed with your goals. She even goes to say that grit is “ an attitude about, to paraphrase Tennyson…seeking, striving, finding, and never yielding.” This line describes the author describing the concept of grit and that it's a attribute that exists throughout everyone. Although grit has been classified and proven, there are still critics that do not see grit as a viable element of success.

The Restriictions of the Grit Concept

Despite the fact that grit has been proven through research and studies, critics still try to denounce grit. David Denby, a journalist for the New Yorker, defending the anti-grit idea in “ The limits of “ Grit “ “ by stating, “Now, there’s something very odd about this list. There’s nothing in it about honesty or courage; nothing about integrity, kindliness, responsibility for others.” This citation describes Denby’s opinion on grit and what it is lacking it. He thinks all of these things are necessary for the perseverance of goals. He also adds to this by saying, “ The list is innocent of ethics, any notion of moral development, any mention of the behaviors by which character has traditionally been marked.” Here, Denby notes that in the test of grit, none of these variables were recorded, which is not correct. Duckworth contradicts this by stating “Turns out that grittier kids were significantly more likely to graduate. Even when i matched them on every characteristic i could measure, things like family income, standardized achievement test scores, even how safe kids felt when they were at school. “ Duckworth describes her process of marking every variable and comparing it throughout the kids with grit and without, and no matter what situation you were in, you contained grit. She's saying here with evidence that grit can be in anyone and they can achieve greatness, no matter what situation. James M. Lang, a man with Crohn's Disease, writes about the effects of grit and how Duckworth’s research makes sense for anyone, including him, by saying, “ Duckworth addresses this very experience in a chapter on hope, in which she talks about the fact that "suffering without control" represents one of the major causes of reduced well-being, and can contribute to conditions like depression. This struck a chord with me. My dietary changes gave me a feeling of control over my suffering, something I had been missing for many years.” This quote by Lang talks about the way grit was used in his life when he was struggling with Crohn’s and how it helped him persevere through his toughest times. This quote denounces any doubt of grit and proves wholeheartedly that grit can be attained by anyone and they can harness it and achieve many great things in their lives. Although Grit has been attempted to be denounced, it has been proven by studies to be an true element in the world.

Conclusion

Throughout the spectrum of hard working people, there is a common trait that these people share. No matter what demographic these people went through, all the successful ones displayed grit. Grit has been proven to be a indicator of the further achievements of citizens. When people harness grit, studies show that they are able to accomplish anything, no matter what the variables that come in their life.