Angela Lee Duckworth has been on a journey – she left her consulting job at 27 to be an elementary school teacher, and left that job a few years later to attend graduate school for psychology. While she was a teacher, she observed that her students’ IQ had little effect on how well they were doing in their classes. So, when she began studying psychology, she set out to determine why.
Her discovery? Grit. In her own words, grit is “passion and perseverance for very long term goals.” People with grit see the big picture, and don’t let a single failure or disappointment drag them down, because they know that in the long term, that single misstep isn’t going to hold them back from their goals.
When you encounter a setback, just remember that failures are going to happen, but if you persevere, if you are “gritty,” you’ll be able to move past them and achieve your goals.
Learn more as she explains her theory of “grit” as a predictor of success in the following Ted Talk video.
