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This personality trait was defined as “grit” by the psychologist Angela Duckworth. In a 2007 study Duckworth
and colleagues found that individuals with high grit were able to maintain motivation in learning tasks despite
failures. The study examined a cross section of learning environments, such as GPA scores in Ivy League
universities, dropout rates at West Point, rankings in the National Spelling Bee, and general educational
attainment for adults. What the results showed was that grit and perseverance were better predictors of
academic success and achievement than talent or IQ.

Applying Grit
The concept of grit is an easy one to dismiss as something taken for granted. In our culture, we have a number
of sayings and aphorisms that capture the essence of grit: “If at first you do not succeed, try, try again,” or the
famous quote by Thomas Edison: “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
The problem is we all understand the concept, but actually applying it takes work. If the task we are trying to
complete is a difficult one, it can take a lot of work.
The first step in applying grit is to adopt an attitude that looks directly to the end goal as the only acceptable
outcome. With this attitude comes an acceptance that you may not succeed on the first attempt—or the
nineteenth attempt. Failed attempts are viewed as merely part of the process and seen as a very useful way to
gain knowledge that moves you toward success. An example of this would be studying for an exam. In your
first attempt at studying you simply reread the chapters of your textbook covered in the exam. You find that
while this reinforces some of the knowledge you have gained, it does not ensure you have all the information
you will need to do well on the test. You know that if you simply read the chapters yet again, there is no
guarantee you are going to be any more successful. You determine that you need to find a different approach.
In other words, your first attempt was not a complete failure, but it did not achieve the end goal, so you try
again with a different method.
On your second try, you copy down all of the main points onto a piece of paper using the section headlines
from the chapters. After a short break you come back to your list and write down a summary of what you know
about each item on your list. This accomplishes two things: first, you are able to immediately spot areas where
you need to learn more, and second, you can check your summaries against the text to make certain what you
know is correct and adequate. In this example, while you may not have yet achieved complete success, you will
have learned what you need to do next.
In true grit fashion, for your next try, you study those items on your list where you found you needed a bit
more information, and then you go through your list again. This time you are able to write down summaries of
all the important points, and you are confident you have the knowledge you need to do well on the exam. After
this, you still do not stop, but instead you change your approach to use other methods that keep what you
have learned fresh in your mind.

Keeping Grit in Mind: Grit to GRIT
The concept of grit has been taken beyond the original studies of successful learning. While the concept of grit
as a personality trait was originally recognized as something positive in all areas of activity, encouraging grit
became very popular in education circles as a way to help students become more successful. In fact, many of
those that were first introduced to grit through education have begun applying it to business, professional
development, and their personal lives. Using a grit approach and working until the goal is achieved has been
2
found to be very effective in not only academics, but in many other areas.

1 Duckworth, A.L.; Peterson, C.; Matthews, M.D.; Kelly, D.R. (June 2007). "Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term
goals". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 92 (6): 1087–1101. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087. PMID 17547490.
2 Neisser, U.; Boodoo, G.; Bouchard, T.J.; Boykin, A.W.; Brody, N.; et al. (1996). "Intelligence: Knowns and unknowns" (PDF). American
Psychologist. 51 (2): 77–101. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.51.2.77.

37

38

2 • The Truth About Learning Styles

The New York Times best-selling author Paul G. Stoltz has taken grit and turned it into an acronym (GRIT) to
3
help people remember and use the attributes of a grit mindset. His acronym is Growth, Resilience, Instinct,
and Tenacity. Each of these elements is explained in the table below.
Growth

Your propensity to seek and consider new ideas, additional alternatives, different
approaches, and fresh perspectives

Resilience

Your capacity to respond constructively and ideally make use of all kinds of adversity

Instinct

Your gut-level capacity to pursue the right goals in the best and smartest ways

Tenacity

The degree to which you persist, commit to, stick with, and go after whatever you choose to
achieve

Table 2.2 The GRIT acronym as outlined by Paul G. Stoltz

There is one other thing to keep in mind when it comes to applying grit (or GRIT) to college success. The same
sort of persevering approach can not only be used for individual learning activities, but can be applied to your
entire degree. An attitude of tenacity and “sticking with it” until you reach the desired results works just as well
for graduation as it does for studying for an exam.

How Do You Get Grit?
A quick Internet search will reveal that there are a large number of articles out there on grit and how to get it.
While these sources may vary in their lists, most cover about five basic ideas that all touch upon concepts
emphasized by Duckworth. What follows is a brief introduction to each. Note that each thing listed here begins
with a verb. In other words, it is an activity for you to do and keep doing in order to build grit.
1. Pursue what interests you.
Personal interest is a great motivator! People tend to have more grit when pursuing things that they have
developed an interest in.
2. Practice until you can do it, and then keep practicing.
The idea of practicing has been applied to every skill in human experience. The reason everyone seems to be
so fixated with practice is because it is effective and there is no “grittier” activity.
3. Find a purpose in what you do.
Purpose is truly the driver for anything we pursue. If you have a strong purpose in any activity, you have
reason to persist at it. Think in terms of end goals and why doing something is worth it. Purpose answers the

1

This personality trait was defined as “grit” by the psychologist Angela Duckworth. In a 2007 study Duckworth

and colleagues found that individuals with high grit were able to maintain motivation in learning tasks despite

failures. The study examined a cross section of learning environments, such as GPA scores in Ivy League

universities, dropout rates at West Point, rankings in the National Spelling Bee, and general educational

attainment for adults. What the results showed was that grit and perseverance were better predictors of

academic success and achievement than talent or IQ.

Applying Grit

The concept of grit is an easy one to dismiss as something taken for granted. In our culture, we have a number

of sayings and aphorisms that capture the essence of grit: “If at first you do not succeed, try, try again,” or the

famous quote by Thomas Edison: “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

The problem is we all understand the concept, but actually applying it takes work. If the task we are trying to

complete is a difficult one, it can take a lot of work.

The first step in applying grit is to adopt an attitude that looks directly to the end goal as the only acceptable

outcome. With this attitude comes an acceptance that you may not succeed on the first attempt—or the

nineteenth attempt. Failed attempts are viewed as merely part of the process and seen as a very useful way to

gain knowledge that moves you toward success. An example of this would be studying for an exam. In your

first attempt at studying you simply reread the chapters of your textbook covered in the exam. You find that

while this reinforces some of the knowledge you have gained, it does not ensure you have all the information

you will need to do well on the test. You know that if you simply read the chapters yet again, there is no

guarantee you are going to be any more successful. You determine that you need to find a different approach.

In other words, your first attempt was not a complete failure, but it did not achieve the end goal, so you try

again with a different method.

On your second try, you copy down all of the main points onto a piece of paper using the section headlines

from the chapters. After a short break you come back to your list and write down a summary of what you know

about each item on your list. This accomplishes two things: first, you are able to immediately spot areas where

you need to learn more, and second, you can check your summaries against the text to make certain what you

know is correct and adequate. In this example, while you may not have yet achieved complete success, you will

have learned what you need to do next.

In true grit fashion, for your next try, you study those items on your list where you found you needed a bit

more information, and then you go through your list again. This time you are able to write down summaries of

all the important points, and you are confident you have the knowledge you need to do well on the exam. After

this, you still do not stop, but instead you change your approach to use other methods that keep what you

have learned fresh in your mind.

Keeping Grit in Mind: Grit to GRIT

The concept of grit has been taken beyond the original studies of successful learning. While the concept of grit

as a personality trait was originally recognized as something positive in all areas of activity, encouraging grit

became very popular in education circles as a way to help students become more successful. In fact, many of

those that were first introduced to grit through education have begun applying it to business, professional

development, and their personal lives. Using a grit approach and working until the goal is achieved has been

2

found to be very effective in not only academics, but in many other areas.

1 Duckworth, A.L.; Peterson, C.; Matthews, M.D.; Kelly, D.R. (June 2007). "Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term

goals". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 92 (6): 1087–1101. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087. PMID 17547490.

2 Neisser, U.; Boodoo, G.; Bouchard, T.J.; Boykin, A.W.; Brody, N.; et al. (1996). "Intelligence: Knowns and unknowns" (PDF). American

Psychologist. 51 (2): 77–101. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.51.2.77.

37

38

2 • The Truth About Learning Styles

The New York Times best-selling author Paul G. Stoltz has taken grit and turned it into an acronym (GRIT) to

3

help people remember and use the attributes of a grit mindset. His acronym is Growth, Resilience, Instinct,

and Tenacity. Each of these elements is explained in the table below.

Growth

Your propensity to seek and consider new ideas, additional alternatives, different

approaches, and fresh perspectives

Resilience

Your capacity to respond constructively and ideally make use of all kinds of adversity

Instinct

Your gut-level capacity to pursue the right goals in the best and smartest ways

Tenacity

The degree to which you persist, commit to, stick with, and go after whatever you choose to

achieve

Table 2.2 The GRIT acronym as outlined by Paul G. Stoltz

There is one other thing to keep in mind when it comes to applying grit (or GRIT) to college success. The same

sort of persevering approach can not only be used for individual learning activities, but can be applied to your

entire degree. An attitude of tenacity and “sticking with it” until you reach the desired results works just as well

for graduation as it does for studying for an exam.

How Do You Get Grit?

A quick Internet search will reveal that there are a large number of articles out there on grit and how to get it.

While these sources may vary in their lists, most cover about five basic ideas that all touch upon concepts

emphasized by Duckworth. What follows is a brief introduction to each. Note that each thing listed here begins

with a verb. In other words, it is an activity for you to do and keep doing in order to build grit.

1. Pursue what interests you.

Personal interest is a great motivator! People tend to have more grit when pursuing things that they have

developed an interest in.

2. Practice until you can do it, and then keep practicing.

The idea of practicing has been applied to every skill in human experience. The reason everyone seems to be

so fixated with practice is because it is effective and there is no “grittier” activity.

3. Find a purpose in what you do.

Purpose is truly the driver for anything we pursue. If you have a strong purpose in any activity, you have

reason to persist at it. Think in terms of end goals and why doing something is worth it. Purpose answers the