Seven Unfailing Ideas on
How to Develop
Grit and Growth Mindset

Have you ever heard of grit?

Most people like to say that grit is like determination. Or perseverance. You know, working hard and not giving up no matter what happens.

They're not wrong. But grit is more than that.

The concept was recently popularized by Angela Duckworth, who wrote a book called Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, which was published in 2016. It was based on her academic research on the topic, which culminated in the eponymous book. Although she is not the only academician researching the topic, it cannot be denied that her book has made the term more popular.

So, what is grit anyway? And why is grit important for any of us to have?

The most commonly used grit definition is the one formulated by Duckworth and her colleagues, which is that grit is passion and perseverance directed to long-term goals.

If you are a gritty person, you are less likely to give up when you encounter difficulties while pursuing a long-term goal. You may not be the fastest person to achieve it, but you will arrive at the destination you have set. On the other hand, if you do not have much grit, you may find yourself easily distracted by new goals and see failure as a sign to stop trying.

Grit is not a fixed state. In fact, we think that grit and growth mindset go hand in hand. Though certain people may be more predisposed to be more gritty, a person can cultivate grit.

At first glance, it can seem like grit and resilience are the same concept. However, they address different states. Resilience occurs when an individual is able to return to their normal state after an upheaval or challenge. It is often referred to as the ability to bounce back or remain optimistic after experiencing bad circumstances. Thus, we can say that resilience is a tactical ability. We believe that it is often most useful in one-time situations that negatively affect the individual. On the other hand, grit is more inclined toward long-term situations. It is what keeps individuals pursuing goals that may not manifest more readily. We think that it is more of a strategic ability.

Nevertheless, the two concepts are interrelated. If you have high resilience, you are more likely than not to have high grit as well.

The relationship between grit and determination is that determination, or perseverance, is a component of grit. Thus, determination alone, according to grit theory, is not enough. You also need sustained passion, directed to the goal that you want to attain.

There might be situations where grit isn't enough; having it, however, is more beneficial than not.

One of the highlighted ideas surrounding grit is the idea of growth mindset. Growth mindset is defined as the idea that ability can always be developed further - thus, it is possible to grow your talents. Fixed mindset believes that everyone is born with certain abilities — some are more talented than others.

Growth mindset is associated with grit and resilience. There are some examples of grit and growth mindset that you can directly see in people. Grit and growth mindset are especially recognizable in people who perform competitive sports. Setbacks don't discourage them; they see it as an opportunity to become better. This is different from people with a fixed mindset; they are more likely to give up when they face difficult challenges.

There are several reasons why grit is important to have. Here are some of them:

1. Grit is associated with success. Duckworth and several of her associates found that many successful contemporary people attributed their achievements to grit. Not only that, but research spanning centuries ago also found the same thing.
   
2. Grit can beat intelligence. One of the largest long-term studies on IQ and success performed in the 1920s by Lewis Terman found that people who were the most successful only had a difference of 5 points with people who are not the most successful. Perseverance and self-confidence were singled out as some of the factors that contributed to their success.
   

If you're wondering if grit can be taught, then the answer is yes, it can. In fact, interestingly, grit tends to grow as one becomes older. Also, you can learn grit from others, as research has shown. Thus, we believe that there is merit in surrounding yourself with people of high grit.

There are also other ways that you can cultivate grit. We'll talk more about this in the next section.

Since grit and growth mindset feed one another, cultivating either one can help improve both your grit and growth mindset. Here are some ways to do it:

As we've said before, grit is the marriage of passion and perseverance. What better way to celebrate their union by taking on new challenges? You can start small when stepping outside your comfort zone. For example, if you've always wanted to be a best-selling novelist and you've yet to try your hand at writing a novel, start small — write a short story first.

By this, we don't mean listen to the naysayers. What we mean is talk to people who give you negative feedback backed with advice on how to improve. After all, it's been proven to improve your performance. Their insight will help you determine how you can get better in order to achieve your long-term goal, thus cultivating your grit and growth mindset.

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Adopt this mindset, and you will be less stressed when a bad situation happens. Remember to use your resilience to deal with the unexpected negative events that occur, and use the setback as an opportunity to launch yourself further.

Grit is passion combined with determination. You will not survive long solely on willpower. You must have the love for the process; don't just long for the destination. Remember that your journey is long and ardent, and if you don't love what you do, you'll probably choose to walk away.

The best way to cultivate a growth mindset, if you feel that you have been subscribing into the fixed mindset school of thought for too long, is by trying new things. When you do this, you push yourself into situations where you might fail first and then get better. You don't have to commit to everything. Sometimes, the experience of failing at things that you aren't yet good at will help you appreciate the hard work to become better at the things you love and pursue.

Why is this important? Well, we've mentioned before that surrounding yourself with grittier individuals may help you become more gritty yourself. Of course, that's not the only reason why you should socialize more. If you hang out with people that you are passionate about, you can also watch them struggle and succeed. This will help propel your momentum — to stay in love and engaged with what you do.

One of the most important habits that successful people have is making a plan. Breaking down your long-term goals into small goals is absolutely crucial in ensuring that you achieve what you set out to do. This is also a great way to sustain your grit and determination.

Grit happens when passion meets perseverance and is channeled in the attainment of long-term goals. Grit and growth mindset complement each other; thus, efforts to cultivate one will affect the other positively as well. Some ways to do this are through taking on challenges, learning new things, and listening to constructive criticism.