Professor Pozzulo’s Pick (September, 2025)

 

Professor Pozzulo’s Pick (September, 2025)

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth (2016, published by Scribner)



My take:

Some people seem to get back up no matter how many times they get knocked down while others struggle and hold on to setbacks. The difference between these two conditions may be something called “grit”. In Grit, The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Duckworth (2016), explores what it means to have grit, how to develop it, and why it is important. Duckworth also provides several evidence-based strategies on how to become “grittier”.

Are successful people simply more talented? More intelligent? According to Duckworth, having grit is more important. (Agreed!) So, what is grit? Grit is the “passion and perseverance for long-term goals that involves a sustained effort to achieve a future objective despite setbacks”.

Duckworth discusses four essentials of grit 1) interest - being genuinely interested/having a passion, 2) practice –practicing your skill so you keep improving, 3) purpose - it must matter to you and 4) hope – being hopeful throughout the process so you keep going. Grit prevails when these elements come together. Essentially, grit is a combination of passion and perseverance.

One strategy Duckworth suggests for becoming grittier is to do something challenging, something that will take effort and practice (and that matters to you). According to Duckworth doing hard things teaches you to do other hard things. Keep in mind that grittiness can increase and can change over time.

If you’re wondering whether grit impacts happiness and well-being….grittier people tend to be happier, have better relationships, have a higher level of well-being, and are more satisfied with life! Get grittier for improved well-being!

Complete the Grit measure to get a sense of how gritty you are. Do you want to increase your grittiness? Choose a hard thing to do. Stay with it for a specified period of time. Redo the grit measure. Has your grittiness increased? Has your well-being increased? Do you feel happier?

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 27, 2025 at 6:53 AM

    I always thought that this idea of "grit" was important for success but I didn't know there was actual research behind it. Looking forward to reading this book!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 27, 2025 at 6:53 AM

    As an educator, I am looking forward to reading this book!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousAugust 27, 2025 at 6:54 AM

    Such a great suggestion for September's pick!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousAugust 27, 2025 at 10:51 AM

    Looks like an interesting read!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousAugust 27, 2025 at 12:30 PM

    Such a timely book.

    ReplyDelete

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