Grit: an essential component in the psychology of success

Let's be honest, we all want to be successful in what we do. There are many books that advise us how to do it. However, despite so much information out there… we are still looking for the perfect recipe that will allow us to get there as quickly as possible and perhaps without much effort. We are obsessed with getting results, and we focus little on the process. But to savor the sweet fruits of seeing our most important goals accomplished, much more is required than intention and desire, it takes effort.

In this article, I want to share what I have read about the research of Angela Duckworth, a leading professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, on the psychology of success.

This researcher has interviewed leaders from the world of business, sales, art, sports, journalism, medicine, the field military, educational and the right to try to discover what makes them stand out in their profession, and although there are certainly characteristics particular in each field, specific qualities and advantages, she has found that passion and perseverance is what distinguishes the great achievers.

She calls the combination of these two elements grit.

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What is the grit? These are its components

Passion, more than intensity and something temporary, refers to continuing with our goals over time. Have constant commitment and dedication to them, not change interests so easily. It is having a clear and defined philosophy of life. Duckworth explains that it is to have a primary goal that is an end in itself. This goal acts as a compass that guides our life and it makes sense of the other lower and middle level goals that we set for ourselves to achieve the higher goal.

When we fail to shout, this may in part be because the goals we have set for ourselves at lower levels are not as consistent with our primary interest. We may want to achieve something, but when it comes down to it, pursue goals that are unrelated and that consequently take us away from our goal.

On the other hand, perseverance is the tendency not to easily give up on goals when setbacks come along the way. It involves determination and willpower.

Talent is not as relevant as we think

In our culture, we tend to place too much importance on “innate” talent over effort, assuming many times that if we have little talent, this will not allow us to go very far. Duckworth, consider that overvaluing talent can be detrimental since "we are transmitting that other factors such as grit are not as important as they really are." If we think about it, we can see that talent is not enough to explain achievements.

A person can have talent and still waste it, not show it, not use it. On the other hand, talent does not necessarily guarantee that the person has the passion and perseverance to finish what you started, that you can move on when things get difficult. There are people who may think that with the talent they have is enough and that it pays more not to make an effort to polish it and expand its limits. Also, when we put too much emphasis on talent, we run the risk of too early to exclude other people whose potential is also valuable.

Duckworth points out that while talent is important, effort counts double. However, when we see an athlete or any other person who performs with great excellence and we are amazed, we usually attribute it to that person having a natural and special gift. We don't usually see the sum of everyday acts; the training process, the dedication, the hours of effort, practice, experience and learning that have led him to have a high performance.

Grit development

The grit can unfold. Research has revealed four psychological qualities that people with grit have in common; interest, practice, purpose, and hope.

1. Interest

It refers to working on what attracts and motivates us. Research has shown that people who have an occupation that matches their personal interests are generally happier with their life, perform better, are more helpful to their colleagues, and keep their jobs more weather.

However, passion is not something that is discovered suddenly, without more, as we usually believe. It takes time and initially requires exploring various interests with a relaxed and fun attitude, without exerting too much pressure, because it is a stage of discovery. Once we discover new interests, we need to actively stimulate, cultivate and develop them over time.

Duckworth explains that "feeling an interest in something takes time and energy, but also a certain discipline and sacrifice." To develop our interests, it is necessary to work hard, study, practice and make an effort. You may have a passion, but if you don't push yourself, you won't stand out or develop it. But it is also true that, if you are not passionate or interested in what you do, it will cost you much more to persevere at it.

In researching him, Duckworth has also found that models of grit, in addition to discovering something they like and developing that interest, learn to deepen it. They have a lasting interest, in which they continue to find novelty in what they do, there is always something more to learn and know within their activity. They do not jump from one project or activity to another completely different, without opting for anything in particular.

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2. Practice

Studies show that the people with the most grit are the ones who tend to persevere at something more than the rest. They spend more time on a task and that time is of higher quality. They aspire to improve and progress from a positive state of mind, which is not based on dissatisfaction. Anders Ericsson, a cognitive psychologist, has long studied how experts in various professional fields acquire their exceptional skills, and has found that thousands upon thousands of hours of deliberate practice are required over many years.

This type of practice consists of setting a goal for improvement or self-improvement that is clear and defined and that entails a challenge. Then it takes absolute attention and great effort to try to achieve that goal. Practice should allow the person get immediate feedback and information about your progress in order to focus on your weak points and improve your skill level.

Finally, repetition and improvement of the skill is required, without forgetting the rest periods. When the goal is achieved, the pursuit of another goal begins again. It is important to make deliberate practice a habit, establishing the same time and place to practice daily.

3. Purpose

It is the intention that what we do contribute to the well-being of other people. Duckworth mentions that most people start out with an interest in something for the sheer pleasure of it. learns to practice with discipline and then it is that he comes to consider the meaning and purpose of what makes. In her studies, she has found that, although pleasure has some importance in the lives of people with the most cry, these are much more motivated than the rest to seek a meaningful life centered on others. Both the interest in something and the desire to connect with others are crucial for a passion to last.

In the same way, those people who see their work as a vocation, rather than as a occupation or career, have more grit and are more satisfied with their work and life in general. Some recommendations for cultivating a sense of purpose involve thinking about how our work can contribute positively to others and how we can modify it, even in small ways, to match our core values ​​and be more meaningful.

4. Hope

It is the confidence in your own ability and control to make things go better in the future, based on your own effort. This is the kind of hope of people with grit. It is not a hope, in which the responsibility for things to improve falls on external forces such as the universe, or luck.

It's not about waiting for things to get better on their own. What leads to hopelessness is the suffering that we believe we cannot control. This is when we come to the conclusion that we can do nothing to change our situation. In her studies, Duckworth, has found that grit models interpret adversity optimistically. They attribute temporary causes to adversity, rather than permanent causes, as in the case of pessimistic people.

He has also found in both youth and adult studies that yelling goes hand in hand with a growth mindset. According to Carol Dweck, a professor at Stanford University, people with this type of mentality believe that intelligence, talents, skills Skills, qualities and personality can be developed and cultivated through effort and can be grown from discipline and experience. Therefore, they are people who tend to accept new challengesThey enjoy the learning process, persist in the face of obstacles, and reach a high level of performance and achievement.

In summary…

People with grit are those who know what they want to achieve in their life, because they have set out to discover, develop and deepen their interests. They have learned to persevere in the face of obstacles and dedicate more quality time and deliberate practice to their interests, they see meaning and purpose in their work (no matter what it is), and trust that through their own efforts things will improve.

Bibliographic references:

• Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Barcelona, ​​Spain; Uranus.
• Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House; New York.
• K. Anders Ericsson, Ralf Th. Krampe, and Clemens Tesch-Romer (1993). The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance. Psychological Review, Vol. 100, pp. 363-406.