Introduction

What is Grit? It is the secret to the success of the best athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, doctors, and lawyers of the world. It is the reason behind the most outstanding performances and world-class skills.

You don’t need to have an inborn talent. No matter who you are, you can have grit.
In this book, you will learn what grit is. You will also learn the effect of talent on success. Additionally, you will understand the importance of not giving up and having a clear goal.

If you want to be the best in your field, if you're going to find your true calling, if you're going to be world-class, read this book.

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Showing Up

Only 10% of applicants are admitted to the United States Military Academy. They are mostly athletes and team captains in high school. But, just after two months of military training, many of them quit.

The new cadet starts with a program called Beast Barracks. They wake up at 5 AM every day. After that, they undergo a series of physical exercises, weapons training, and a classroom lecture. They only have three breaks, which are for Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner. The cadets go to bed at precisely 10 pm.

This is their routine every day. They do the same thing day in and day out. There are no weekends, no vacations, and no other breaks except for meals. The new cadets are not allowed to have contact with the outside world.

The Beast Barracks train the cadets physically, mentally, and emotionally. That is, indeed, the point of military training to toughen the future soldier.

The US Army wanted to predict who among the new cadets are going to give up and who are going to graduate. They asked for the help of several psychologists to create a test or an indicator that reveals who is more likely to stay in training and what qualities they have.

No psychologists actually succeeded in doing so. Even the most intelligent and most athletic new cadets drop out of the academy. Even the best achievers could not stand the intense training.

What is the quality that some cadets have, which enables them to finish the four-year program? If not intelligence or talent, then what is the secret?

Mike Matthews is one of the trainers in the military academy. He graduated from there. He said that as soon as they’re accepted, the new cadets are challenged every day to do things they haven’t done before. Having spent two weeks in the Barracks, Mike had already felt lonely, tired, and frustrated, just like all of his classmates.

Some of them had already quit, but not Mike. He said that his classmates did not lack ability. They are strong, smart, and agile. But, what really matters in the military academy is to never give up.

The author Angela Duckworth interviewed the most successful people in the field of medicine, business, law, art, and sports. She asked them about what qualities determine success. What makes extraordinary people stand out from the rest?

Angela learned that there are lots of talented people who had abandoned their careers before they became the best. She learned two common qualities that all of the most successful people have.

The first is never giving up after failing. These people are determined to improve their skills. For example, there is a writer who wasn’t really good at the beginning. His stories used to be so melodramatic and clumsy. But, he kept on writing. He got better and better. Later on, the writer won a prestigious award.

The second is never being complacent. These successful people really love what they do. Even if the tasks get frustrating, boring, or painful, they don’t quit. These successful people criticize even their own work. They are not satisfied until they have done the best. They have a clear idea of what they want to be.

So, if we name these two qualities, these are first, perseverance and second, passion. Perseverance is hard work and always getting up again. Passion is determination and direction. There is just one word to define all these good qualities. That is grit, i.e., passion plus perseverance.

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Distracted by Talent

Pure talent is not enough to succeed. There are people with talent who became complacent. They do not practice or rehearse; that is why they underperform.

Conversely, there are those who don’t look special at all. They are only average when they first started. Yet, with grit, these people excelled. They succeeded. They did so not because they have natural talent, but because they have passion and perseverance.

Consider the story of David Luong, who used to be Angela’s student. Angela once taught math in a public school in San Francisco. She noticed that those who find maths easy don’t really get high grades in her class. But, the students who try harder and practice more ace the quizzes and tests.

One of these hardworking students is David. He is not a math whiz. David is shy. He is quiet, and he just sits at the back. He rarely recites and volunteers to solve a problem on the board.

Nevertheless, Angela noticed that David always gets a perfect score. Angela saw that he is more focused and determined to learn. After the algebra class, David would politely ask her for more exercises.

Angela saw his potential. She suggested that David should join the Advanced Math program. After one year, Angela asked him about his performance.  David said that it was really hard. He rarely gets an A. But, David said that he always asks for the teacher’s help. He figured out what he does wrong. Then, he started practicing solving once again.

When David graduated, he was number one in the Advanced Calculus class. Angela learned that he took up economics and engineering in college. Then, David earned a PhD in mechanical engineering. Now, David is working in the Aerospace Corporation.

Angela is really proud of her student. David used to be a shy boy who gets low grades in math. But, because of passion and perseverance, David went to greater heights. Who would have thought that David will be a rocket scientist someday? He doesn’t have talent, but he surely has grit.

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