Grit: The power of passion and perseverance

Day 10 / 365

Is success in studies purely a function of a student’s IQ? Do smart students always perform better than the rest?

These were few of the questions that interested Angela during her work as a teacher in a New York City public school. And surprisingly, she found that IQ was not the only thing that seperated the best students from the worst. This inspired her to pursue higher studies in psychology. In this Ted Talk she has shared the results of her research in this field.

The importance of grit

Angela looked at both kids and adults in different challenging situation

• Which cadets would stay till the end in military training?
• Which children would advance the furthest in the National Spelling Bee?
• Which teachers will perform best and influence most students to succeed in tough neighborhoods?
• Which sales people perform the best?

In all these cases she found that the deciding factor was always never social intelligence, good looks or a High IQ. It was grit — the passion and perseverance towards long term goals.

Going back to the public schools, Angela found that grittier students consistently performed better than students who may have a higher IQ but lack in perseverance.

The Growth Mindset

Once we know the importance of grit, the obvious question is how do we build grit?

The research regarding grit is not quite there yet. We do know that talent alone doesn’t make you gritty. There is sometimes even an inverse relationship seen between the two.

The best idea for building grit in kids, Angela reckons, is something called “The Growth Mindset”.

The ability to learn is not fixed, and it can change with effort

When we put this idea into the minds of children, they are much more likely to succeed. Even if they are not doing so well, they can believe that failure is not a permanent outcome, which would motivate them to work harder.

This story is part of my 365 Day Project for 2019. Read about it here

Up next — All it takes is 10 Mindful Minutes