Book Review: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

“Who spends two years trying to get into a place and then drops out in the first two months?” (Duckworth, 2016, p. 4). This is how Angela began her book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. This was after she described the entrance process to get into West Point, The United States Military Academy. It was also her focus of research while she was a psychology graduate student. The U.S. Army wanted to know the answer. It is an answer that I was curious about.

Grit is 349 pages long. Duckworth arranged the thirteen chapters into three major parts. These parts include:

• What Grit Is and Why It Matters
• Growing Grit From the Inside Out
• Growing Grit From the Outside In

Duckworth also included an Afterword that included the seven most common questions that she is regularly asked. She also provided a recommended reading list focused on developing a growth mindset.

What Grit Is and Why It Matters

While conducting research at West Point, Duckworth developed an assessment that measured Grit. Grit is a combination of passion and perseverance (p. 8). She was able to predict with great accuracy who would stick it out in West Point and who would drop out.

Over the course of her research, she learned that grit had no relationship with talent. This not only was evident to her experiences at West Point but also in other fields such as academics, sales, and even the spelling bee. Those who consistently practiced and prepared could overtake someone who was talented. However, talent should not be disregarded because it is important.

“Talent is how quickly your skills improve when you invest effort. Achievement is what happens when you take your acquired skills and use them” (Duckworth, 2016, p. 42). Effort is a force multiplier. As I look back on my life, I realize I would have been extremely good if I simply put in the time and effort consistently. I merely dabble at activities thus I never become good. I just don’t stick to the activities.

Duckworth shared here Grit Scale. I took the assessment and it is sad to say that I am not very gritty. Perhaps it is the goals I set or don’t set. Duckworth pointed out that lifelong goals are important to grit. One must be committed to the goals they set. She devoted a chapter to goals and subgoals.

One of the findings that I found interesting is that people become grittier as they age or become more mature.

Growing Grit From the Inside Out

Duckworth discovered that there are four psychological elements that relate to grit. She devoted a chapter to each of these elements. These are

• Interest
• Practice
• Purpose
• Hope

People who are interested in and passionate about something will tend to stick with it longer. I am sure that we all recognize this in ourselves. When we love doing something, we get lost in it. It is easy to do something we enjoy.

Practice is another element closely tied to grittiness. One must define goals with a purpose. It not just a matter of practicing, although that will result in improvement over time. It is more a matter of practice with a purpose. The goal is to achieve fluency. It was a matter of getting into the flow. “Gritty people do more deliberate practice and experience more flow” (Duckworth, 2016, p. 131). Practice is hard but it can be a positive experience. Duckworth shared ample strategies for making practice more beneficial.

If your activity also benefits others, you will typically see higher levels of grittiness. In other words, your activity should have a purpose that helps others. It is the difference between having a job, a career, and a calling.

This last element focused on hope. Interestingly, it had more to do with control. Someone who was in control of their mindset and circumstances knew they could control the outcome. Duckworth tapped into Carol Dweck’s growth mindset research. Those with a growth mindset experienced more success because they knew they were in control of their outcomes. It is important to know how to overcome adversity.

Growing Grit From the Outside In

The last part of the book focused on helping others develop grit. Duckworth approached the topic from different perspectives such as what parents could do to develop grit in their child to what high-performing organizations could do. Developing the right culture is essential for grit to take hold. Throughout these last chapters, Duckworth shared strategies for developing grit.

Final Thoughts

Throughout the book, Duckworth provided a wealth of research that was weaved into interesting stories. This definitely held my interest throughout the book.

I would definitely recommend reading Grit if you find yourself giving up too early. There are certainly lessons that you can employ to develop more grit.

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