Every few year, a new buzzword shakes up the world of self-help business books. We’ve seen the rise and fall of buzzwords like Flow, Growth Mindset, and Deep Work. In 2016, Angela Duckworth introduced a new one to the scene Grit. According to the author, grit is the ability to persevere in a focused way, and it’s the ultimate key to success.
Who is Angela Duckworth, the Author of Grit?
Angela Duckworth is an American writer, researcher, psychologist, and non-profit founder. As well as writing the very popular nonfiction business book Grit, Duckworth conducts research and teaches at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Style of Grit
Most popular self-help books written in the past 10 years have a clear and engaging writing style. Grit is no exception to this rule. It’s a relatively easy read that strikes a good balance between psychological insights, practical advice, and real-life case studies.
The Content of Grit: What Is It All About?
In this book, Duckworth gives us a new meaning for the word “grit”: it means keeping the pursuit of your goals alive, relentlessly, even in the face of adversity. The book is all about exploring how grit works, how it can lead to incredible success, and how you can start using it in your everyday life.
According to Duckworth, not every goal can be achieved through “grit” alone. In fact, grit will only work if you have a real passion for what you’re doing. After you’ve figured out your passion, you must put in hours of deliberate practice to improve your skills. This is very broad and could apply to leadership or coding, cooking or accounting. While doing so, Duckworth claims you must keep in mind a higher purpose, something that can keep on motivating you year after year.
Finally, Duckworth highlights the value of having hope. Every business seems on the brink of failure at some point, every entrepreneur faces “rock bottom”. Grit means keeping hope alive and seeing the bigger picture, even when it looks like we’re at a standstill.
Is Grit for Me?
Perseverance is one of the greatest tools in an entrepreneur’s psychological toolkit. So if you’re hoping to get anywhere in the world of business, taking a closer look at how it works can certainly be beneficial. I would recommend this book to most people, simply because the lessons it offers are universal, valuable, and ultimately very motivating.
Final Thoughts on Grit by Angela Duckworth
With Grit, Angela Duckworth has done much more than introducing a new buzzword to the self-help scene. She has redefined the concept of perseverance for generations to come, in a way that’s particularly inspiring. Grit says:
It’s not about your natural skills, it’s about how you can apply yourself and stick to your goals in the long-term.
And that’s something all of us would benefit from understanding.
Business Books Similar To Grit by Angela Duckworth
If you’re interested in learning more about how motivation works, we also recommend checking out Drive by Daniel H. Pink. And if you’re looking for more inspiring success stories, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is another great resource.
