I find that everyone, myself included, gets zeroed in on advantage/privilege/access as THE determinant for success.
But Angela Duckworth challenged the world a few years ago finding that ONLY grit is determinant in successful outcomes, not socioeconomic background, IQ, and a host of other things we all took for granted as the explanations for outcomes. Yes, they and other related factors can INFLUENCE outcome. But ONLY grit is determinant.
And this distinction is critical in preventing the poisoning of your own mind. Some factors you can’t control. Some you can budge a little. One, and the most important one, you entirely manipulate: grit. Hard work for the long haul makes up for and in some cases supersedes the combined benefit of all other advantages, privileged, and access. Thus, if you spend 100% of your mental effort on the factors you can’t control, what are we even doing here? If you can shift to even 5% of your mental focus toward grit, you can develop toward a direction that may turn out to be better than all other advantages.
But what if you could make it 100% of your focus is on the development of grit? And zero percent of your time is wasted on bemoaning the many unfair but currently unchangeable factors?
Don’t get distracted.
Get gritty.
But Angela Duckworth challenged the world a few years ago finding that ONLY grit is determinant in successful outcomes, not socioeconomic background, IQ, and a host of other things we all took for granted as the explanations for outcomes. Yes, they and other related factors can INFLUENCE outcome. But ONLY grit is determinant.
And this distinction is critical in preventing the poisoning of your own mind. Some factors you can’t control. Some you can budge a little. One, and the most important one, you entirely manipulate: grit. Hard work for the long haul makes up for and in some cases supersedes the combined benefit of all other advantages, privileged, and access. Thus, if you spend 100% of your mental effort on the factors you can’t control, what are we even doing here? If you can shift to even 5% of your mental focus toward grit, you can develop toward a direction that may turn out to be better than all other advantages.
But what if you could make it 100% of your focus is on the development of grit? And zero percent of your time is wasted on bemoaning the many unfair but currently unchangeable factors?
Don’t get distracted.
Get gritty.