“Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth centers around the idea that talent alone won’t help you reach your goal or an extraordinary achievement like most people believe but rather the effort and perseverance you put into cultivating your talent. The word grit is about moving in one direction and pushing through with passion and perseverance in order to achieve one's goal which in short is focusing on one main goal so that not only will you develop a skill but with skill and effort you reach an achievement. She starts the book off by talking about her study with the West Point Cadets who have to attend a program called Beast which is designed to help them transition from new cadets to soldier's, it is described as ruthless and not only physically challenging but mentally as well. The conclusion of her study showed that those who were successful candidates, as in those who did not drop out, were hardworking and resilient, showing that they not only had determination but also had direction of what they wanted to do. As opposed to those who showed early signs of success like talent or iq who actually were not as successful despite having potential. Throughout each chapter she continues to push the idea on how grit can lead to success and even talks about how grit can grow. She explains how someone who isn’t as gritty as others can actually grow and develop as they get older and that it’s okay to drop things too. Dropping things doesn't mean you don't have grit, it might just not be what you're really looking for and you feel as if the effort isn’t as important or worth it to continue to pursue it.
What I really like about this book is that she tries to push the idea that although you don't think you can achieve an extraordinary goal if you really set yourself to it and focus on that path it is actually possible. In chapter 3 of the book she uses Will Smith as an example and the part that stood out to me the most was when she quoted him. The quote was “The separation of talent and skill is one of the greatest misunderstood concepts for people who are trying to excel, who have dreams, who want to do things. Talent you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft.”. I have always had an issue with procrastinating as most do so I always feel like I just don’t have what it takes and that maybe I’m just not smart enough to understand all the concept so I fall into the deep rabbit hole of procrastination because maybe it’ll make sense to me tomorrow. When I got to the Will Smith part it really had me thinking because when I procrastinate it’s because I have no motivation and when it’s almost the due date I tend to try and finish all the piled up work and I feel silly by the end of it because I just wasn’t pushing myself to do the work, it’s not that I don't have the talent or the intelligence to do it it’s because I choose to give up when you're supposed to struggle in life to learn because without struggle you aren’t truly learning. And I know it’s possible because during my spring semester I started learning to crochet and I was making a baby blanket for my dog and I was getting better and better each day as I repeated the same pattern and hand movements and although I don’t have time for it now I know if I keep pushing my limits and practicing and practicing I will see results. I went from starting a baby blanket to making simple plushies like snakes, cows, and bumblebees in the span of a month which shows anyone can have grit as long as you really strive for the goal.
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