Grit

I finished listening to the audiobook today. I imagine I would have had more highlights and notes if I had read it on Kindle instead.

The book argues that grit is the quality that distinguishes achievers from everyone else, and that it is a strong predictor of success. Some sections felt tangential, which is why I rated it 4 stars on Goodreads. This feels like a book worth revisiting later. Perhaps when I am older and wiser.

Below are the ideas that felt most relevant to me right now.

The Grit Scale

I took the grit scale included in the book and scored 3.9, which is below average. That made me pause.

I couldn’t immediately think of an extracurricular activity I had followed through for multiple years during school. At the same time, the author does point out that the scale is subjective and can be gamed. It made me wonder if the score reflects reality or my self-criticism

Talent vs Hard Work

The book starts by explaining our bias toward natural talent over hard work. Grit, in contrast, is about growing talent through sustained effort.

We often write off "overnight success" as talent without accounting for the years of work that went before it.

This idea is captured in a simple equation from the book:

Talent × effort = skill

Skill × effort = achievement

Effort counts twice.

The Hierarchy of Goals

To achieve something meaningful, the book describes three levels of goals:

Low-level goals: specific actions

Mid-level goals: strategies that organize those actions

High-level goal: the ultimate concern or purpose

The high-level goal is not a means to an end. It is the end. It acts as a compass that gives direction to all goals beneath it.

According to the book, people fail in two common ways:

They have an aspirational high-level goal but no lower-level goals to support it.

They have mid-level goals but no high-level goal to sustain effort when things get difficult.

Stages of Grit

The book then shifts from defining grit to examining how it develops over time, by studying people who committed to an occupation for many years.

1. Introduction

This is the phase where someone is introduced to an occupation. It needs to be interesting and enjoyable. Parents, teachers, and managers play a significant role in whether a person sticks with it.

2. Practice

This is where things become repetitive or boring. Gritty people engage in deliberate practice — aiming to improve slightly every day. They analyse what it takes to get better and work toward it intentionally. There is also a discussion on whether flow is possible at this stage, which I enjoyed.

3. Purpose

Here, the occupation turns into a long-term purpose. The author argues that purpose is not found, but grown, and that grit can be grown as well. This section covers several ideas, including whether gritty people have fixed or growth mindsets. They tend to have a growth mindset.

Growing Grit: Inside Out and Outside In

Most of the book focuses on growing grit from the inside out — through interest, practice, and purpose.

The final section looks at growing grit from the outside in. It discusses how parents' grit and parenting styles influence a child's grit.

There is also an "easier" way to grow grit: being part of a culture or team with high standards. By conforming to such a culture, grit can develop over time.

So, what's next?

One difficult thing

The author said they have a rule in their family. Everyone does one difficult thing. They choose something that interests them and then do deliberate practice. Examples included running, yoga, playing the piano. They are allowed to quit something only when there is a logical conclusion, like end of a semester or a marathon or something else. They are not allowed to quit only because something gets difficult. Also, for the grown-ups, they are supposed to stick with their difficult thing at least for two years.

What would my "one difficult thing" be? That's an interesting prompt around the new year.

This feels like a useful snapshot of the book as I understand it now. It's less about motivation, and more about having a framework to revisit later to see what still resonates and what changes with time.