FAQ - What's Grit?

FAQ

QUESTION: 

What is Grit

ANSWER:

Perseverance is one part of Grit. Don’t think of it as ‘difference’ but a component of As a reminder here is some of the content from the video in your foundation course…Grit is the ability to ‘stay the course’, to follow through when approaching important goals.As hypothesized by Duckworth & Seligman in 2007, Grit is the passion (that is the Consistency of interest) and perseverance (this is the persistence of effort) to pursue those longer-term goals.

Angela Duckworth’s book, titled Grit is a great study and dive into the science and her research of Grit.If we think of grit in this way, it is the mental toughness, the mental stamina to keep going, to stick with an undertaking, in spite of difficulties, obstacles or discouragement, in order to achieve a long term goal. Often higher when aligned to one’s interest, one’s passion.

Grit is essential to adapt successfully as it provides the stamina to stay on course and move constructively towards our goals, especially in changing times. Grit as a learnable skill; One can focus on related constructs such as Self-regulation, self-discipline, and goal-orientation, which can be taught and improved over time.It is important to note that Duckworth’s early research was focussed on students in grades 4-8, which showed there was strong correlation with other important educational measures such as self-regulation and self-efficacy in academic pursuits. In fact in 2009 Duckworth and Quinn, proposed Grit is a better predictor of academic achievement than IQ alone. 

People with High levels of Grit are confident in achieving their long term goals. They are often described as ‘determined’ and ‘hard workers’. They want to keep going until the work is done. Are known to finish what they start. They often stick to a plan, which can at times result in blind spots when it comes to alternative ideas. Their stamina and capacity to endure is very high.People with high grit are not discouraged easily; they see setbacks and obstacles as challenges which can be overcome with commitment and hard work. People with Med levels of Grit feel able to reach their long term goals. They often try multiple ways to achieve a task, and have commitment to keep working at it. They can benefit from the positive support of others to finish what they started. If a task is not clearly linked to their passion, and goals, they are more likely to put the task off, delay it and even try to avoid it all together.People with Low levels of Grit Can feel like they are not able to reach long term goals.

Projects may get started, but are often left unfinished. If a task is difficult they give up quickly. Setbacks and obstacles can easily discourage them. When change happens they can find it difficult to stay on course with long term goals. This might be a result of a misalignment with their personal interests, or have yet to find a passion which gives them the consistency of a long term goal.