How Gritty Are You?
I continue to be curious about how the mind supports our business endeavors. Particularly the concepts of positive psychology, cognitive psychology and understanding why we humans do what we do and how we make the best life out of the one we get to live right now.
Each month I host a virtual book club and discussion for people in my community. We read the book over 4 weeks and then hop online for an hour where I do some coaching around the themes of the book and we talk about the big takeaways and ahas for everyone who read the book.
I started this virtual book club because I love to read (I’ve set a goal to read 52 books this year - combination of fiction and nonfiction) and I love to discuss what I’ve read and hear different perspectives and how others will apply what they have read.
This month’s book was Grit by Angela Duckworth a social psychologist and McArthur Genius Award recipient.
The premise of the book is Duckworth’s research on talent and skill and the correlation to success.
Here are my key takeaways:
If you are a Seahawks fan, there is a great section where Coach Pete Carroll talks about Grit and the team, and how grit is fostered through support and coaching, and how we don’t lose grit.
I was struck by her points on passion and perseverance and how enthusiasm is common and endurance is rare, and how if you do ONE thing better and better it is more satsifying than staying an amateur at many things.
She says that with effort, talent becomes skill and, at the very same time, effort makes skill productive.
The four characteristics of grit:
Interest - enjoy what you do
Practice - consistent drive toward mastery
Purpose - what you do matters; “the motivtion to serve others heigtens after development of interest and years of disciplined practice.”
Hope - Keep going even when things are tough
Grit really comes down to self awareness. I highly recommend this book - if you are an Audible subscriber, the author actually narrates the book.
If you’re interested in hearing what books I am reading each month and want to join the conversation, sign up here.
