Angela Duckworth – Grit. Why passion and resilience are the secrets to success.

Some people are great when things are going well but fall apart when things aren’t. Which results in them failing to set or achieve ambitious goals, goals that stretch them beyond what is easy.
Achievers have grit which equals passion + perseverance.
How to build grit

  1. Let your child face difficulties and overcome them. Do not create a totally comfortable life for your child. Make sure there are difficulties that can be overcome – it starts with successful adaptation to kindergarten or school, making friends in a new company, learning a sport or a skill. This prevents “learnt helplessness” – a condition when whatever you do doesn’t change the situation.
  2. Teach your child positive self-talk – reinforce phrases like – “I can do it if I try harder. I have all the skills to do it. I am a good person. If something doesn’t work out – I will look for other ways.”  The growth mindset self-talk promotes perseverance over adversity
  3. Create situations of failure and use them for learning – failure is a cue to try harder not a confirmation that you lack an ability to succeed.
  4. Create situations which are hard but interesting – learning a sport or ballet, art or music are best areas to develop grit
  5. Make sure your child is in a high standard environment where their peers value work because your ethics normally conforms to the ethics of the people around you. This is one of the main factors in choosing a school for your child.