Summary

Angela Duckworth's book "Grit" outlines the importance of passion, perseverance, practice, purpose, and power for achieving happiness, health, and success.

Abstract

The concept of "Grit," as described in Angela Duckworth's book, is a key determinant of success, happiness, and health. Grit is characterized by a combination of passion and perseverance, which enables individuals to persist in the face of challenges. The book emphasizes that grit can be cultivated through deliberate practice, a sense of purpose, and the belief in one's ability to shape their own future. Duckworth argues that these five P's—passion, perseverance, practice, purpose, and power—are essential for personal development and achievement. The text also suggests that individuals with high levels of grit are more likely to experience satisfaction and well-being in their lives.

Opinions

The author believes that grit is a trait that can be developed, not just an innate quality.
Grit is seen as a driving force behind long-term success and is considered more important than talent alone.
Passion is considered the foundation of grit, fueling the motivation to persevere through difficulties.
Perseverance is viewed as a critical component of grit, essential for overcoming obstacles and achieving goals.
Deliberate practice is highlighted as a method for improving skills and enhancing grit, as it involves stepping out of one's comfort zone.
Having a purpose is deemed necessary for maintaining grit, as it provides a sense of meaning and contribution to something larger than oneself.
The author emphasizes the importance of believing in one's own agency, or the power to influence one's future through hard work and dedication.
The conclusion of the book suggests that individuals with more grit tend to be happier and healthier, implying a strong correlation between grit and overall life satisfaction.

Follow These 5 “P”s to Be Happy, Healthy, and Successful

Key points from Grit, by Angela Duckworth

Graphic by author. Photo by pasja1000 from Pixabay.

What is “Grit”?

Grit is that quality that helps you to succeed. It’s why some people double down when things get tough, while others quit. Grit keeps people trying until they find a way through whatever problem is temporarily stopping them. It’s what makes musicians and athletes into superstars, and scientists into Nobel laureates.

People who have more Grit tend to be more successful in life. They also tend to be happier and healthier.

Best of all, Grit can be learned.

How to develop more Grit

To be happier and more successful in your life, you need to follow the five P’s:

️ ▪️ Passion ▪️ Perseverance ▪️ Practice ▪️ Purpose ▪️ Power

Passion

Passion is the first part of Grit. You have to actually like something and be interested in it before you can tough it out when things get hard. Otherwise, you just don’t care enough, and you’ll move on to other things. While a mild interest or curiosity is fine for a start, that needs to grow for Grit. As you develop skills, you’ll find yourself shifting to a passion for the details, the nuances, and the ever-expanding radius cast by your passion.

Perseverance

Perseverance works hand in hand with passion as a basis for Grit. If you expect everything to be easy and quit when it’s not, you lack perseverance. You have to put in the time with something to find the depths of your passion. Then, your passion motivates you to keep going when it gets difficult. If you have Passion and Perseverance, you have Grit.

Practice

Practice is one of the ways to develop Grit. Doing something over and over is not enough. You have to get better at it. You have to develop mastery. And the way to do that is through deliberate practice. Deliberate practice forces you to push yourself slightly outside of your comfort zone to learn new skills. Because of that, you are enhancing your perseverance.

Purpose

To find true satisfaction in your chosen pursuit, you have to believe that it matters. Your efforts must help others, or make the world a better place in some way. While you don’t have to start with a purpose, you need to develop one eventually, or you will lose your Grit. Once you have a purpose, it helps you develop more Grit.

Power

This isn’t the sort of personal power that you have as a CEO or elected official. It isn’t even the sort you have as a body builder or social media influencer. This power is the power in empowerment. It means that you believe your future is determined by your actions. You have the ability to create the future you want through your hard work and dedication, rather than relying on spurious fate to grant your wishes. If you don’t think your work matters to your future, that the outcome is predetermined by fate or something else you can’t control, when the going gets tough, you’ll quit. Because whether you do or don’t, the same thing will happen, so why suffer? Believing that you have agency is empowering, and builds your Grit.

Conclusion

Grit by Angela Duckworth describes what Grit is, as well as how to have more of it.

She shows that people who test higher for Grit also have more success in life. Those with the most Grit are about twice as happy as those with the least Grit. They are also healthier.

Grit is composed of two factors — passion and perseverance. You have to like something and be willing to stick with it to have Grit.

There are also three ways to increase your Grit: practice, purpose, and power.

If you have all 5 “P”s, you’ll have plenty of Grit. And you’re likely to be happier, healthier, and more successful than those who do not.

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