Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

by Angela Duckworth

You can’t quit on a bad day.

And, finally, the Hard Thing Rule states that you get to pick your hard thing.

At that point, the Hard Thing Rule will change. A fourth requirement will be added: each girl must commit to at least one activity, either something new or the piano and viola they’ve already started, for at least two years.

They’d like to grow grittier as they get older, and, like any skill, they know grit takes practice.

And that’s the guys that really have grit. The mindset that they’re always going to succeed, that they’ve got something to prove. They’re resilient, they’re not going to let setbacks hold them back.

All we do is help people be great competitors. We teach them how to persevere. We unleash their passion.

If you want to be grittier, find a gritty culture and join it. If you’re a leader, and you want the people in your organization to be grittier, create a gritty culture.

And was mystifying excellence, at the end of the day, really the confluence of countless, perfectly executed yet mundane, doable acts?

“The real way to become a great swimmer is to join a great team.”

But the thing is, when you go to a place where basically everybody you know is getting up at four in the morning to go to practice, that’s just what you do. It’s no big deal. It becomes a habit.”

The drive to fit in—to conform to the group—is powerful indeed.

The easy way is to use conformity—the basic human drive to fit in—because if you’re around a lot of people who are gritty, you’re going to act grittier.”

Over time and under the right circumstances, the norms and values of the group to which we belong become our own.

The way we do things around here and why eventually becomes The way I do things and why.

It can be years or more before grit’s dividends pay off.

The Finns have something they call sisu. It is a compound of bravado and bravery, of ferocity and tenacity, of the ability to keep fighting after most people would have quit, and to fight with the will to win.

“A typical Finn is an obstinate sort of fellow who believes in getting the better of bad fortune by proving that he can stand worse.”

She asked a thousand Finns how they thought about sisu and discovered that most have a growth mindset about its development.

First, thinking of yourself as someone who is able to overcome tremendous adversity often leads to behavior that confirms that self-conception.

If you’re a Finn with that “sisu spirit,” you get up again no matter what.

It sometimes feels like we have nothing left to give, and yet, in those dark and desperate moments, we find that if we just keep putting one foot in front of the other, there is a way to accomplish what all reason seems to argue against.

“Failures are going to happen, and how you deal with them may be the most important thing in whether you succeed. You need fierce resolve. You need to take responsibility. You call it grit. I call it fortitude.”

Jamie recalls that getting fired from Citibank at age forty-two, and then taking a full year to ponder what lessons to take from the episode, made him a better leader.

“The ultimate thing is that we need to gr...

“Have a fierce resolve in everything you do.”

“Demonstrate determination, resiliency, and tenacity.”

“Do not let temporary setbacks become perm...

“Use mistakes and problems as opportunities to get better—no...

Our extraordinary success is about what we do once the players get here. It’s our culture.”

Culture building, Anson said, is a matter of continuous experimentation. “Basically, we’ll try anything, and if it works, we’ll keep doing it.”

Each year that you play soccer for Anson Dorrance, you must memorize three different literary quotes, each handpicked to communicate a different core value.

We don’t whine—and its corresponding quote, courtesy of playwright George Bernard Shaw: “The true joy in life is to be a force of fortune instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”

The origin of great leadership begins with the respect of the commander for his subordinates.

At West Point, it means treating cadets with unconditional respect and, when they fall short of meeting the academy’s extraordinarily high standards, figuring out the support they need to develop.

Some afternoons, I’m going to say, ‘Okay, let’s go run,’ or ‘Let’s go workout,’ or ‘Let’s go do intervals.’ I will lead from the front to get the cadet to the standard.

It’s really the guy across from us that makes us who we are.” Our opponent, Pete explained, creates challenges that help us become our best selves.

He pushes and practices with marvelous intensity. He focuses, studies, does everything.”

one person’s grit enhances the grit of the others, which in turn inspires more grit in that person, and so on, without end.

Pete’s idol, basketball coach John Wooden, was fond of saying, “Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.”

It’s countless small things, each doable—but each so easy to botch, forget, or ignore. And though the details are countless, there are some themes.

Always compete. You’re either competing or you’re not. Compete in everything you do. You’re a Seahawk 24-7. Finish strong. Positive self-talk. Team first.

Mike tells me that two key factors promote excellence in individuals and in teams: “deep and rich support and relentless challenge to improve.”

So, for the Seahawks, Always compete means Be all you can be, whatever that is for you. Reach for your best.

Finishing strong means consistently focusing and doing your absolute best at every moment, from start to finish.

No whining. No complaining. No excuses.

Always protect the team. Afterward: Be early.

“It’s about respect. It’s about the details. It’s about excellence.”

You got him motivated. Okay, that’s a start. That’s a beginning. Now what? He needs some coaching! He needs someone to explain what he needs to do, specifically, to get back to good grades! He needs a plan! He needs your help in figuring out those next steps.”

The first is that you can grow your grit. I see two ways to do so. On your own, you can grow your grit “from the inside out”: You can cultivate your interests. You can develop a habit of daily challenge-exceeding-skill practice. You can connect your work to a purpose beyond yourself. And you can learn to hope when all seems lost.

You can also grow your grit “from the outside in.” Parents, coaches, teachers, bosses, mentors, friends—developing your personal grit depends critically on other people.