Monday, December 28, 2020

Developing Grit - Dr Sangeetha Madhu and Eliza Abraham

Dr. Angela Duckworth a leading psychologist from the University of Pennsylvania is the one who coined the term “Grit”. This traitis a key factor in the personal success of individuals. Dr. Angela defined grit as “passion and sustained persistence applied toward long-term achievement, with no particular concern for rewards or recognition along the way” (Fessler, 2018).She first started studying grit while she was teaching mathematics to seventh-grade students in the USA. Post which she spent numerous years studying grit and its effects on the performance of individuals at work, academics, and interpersonal relationships. She later went on to publish a book titled; Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, which also became a New York Times bestsellerand gave numerous TED Talks about it (Fessler, 2018).

Through her research, it can be understood that grit is an outcome of nature and nature and it is developed in individuals who have a growth mindset. She believes that grit is a trait that is developed through experience and along with a shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. On the other hand, resilience is the ability to “adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, or significant sources of stress” (“Building your resilience”, 2012).

Ways to develop Grit and Resilience

1.      Connect with others and be more social.

2.      Learn to control your response to unfavorable situations you encounter.

3.      Learn to accept constant change in life and to abandon goals that are not attainable anymore.

4.      Use the Kaizen principle on your goals, i.e. start with the smallest component that pertains to your long-term factor.

5.      Acquire decision-making skills so that you can make independent decisions in tough situations.

6.      Be open to learning from your struggles and bad experiences. It will provide you valuable insights.

7.      Refrain from negative self-talk/criticism and inculcate the habit of positive self-talk/affirmations.

8.      Life consists of ups and downs, learn to accept the low moments and bad experiences and try to have a different perspective while viewing your life.

9.      Be optimistic.

10.  Be self-compassionate, introduce exercise to your routine, laugh, and spend time learning something new (Miller, 2020).

Dr. Angela also developed a Grit Scale, which you can use to understand how gritty you are. This can help you to learn to develop the level of resilience and grit within yourself.

 

References

(2020). Building your resilience. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience

Fessler, L. (2018, March 26). “You’re no genius”: Her father’s shutdowns made Angela Duckworth a world expert on grit.Quartz at Work. https://qz.com/work/1233940/angela-duckworth-explains-grit-is-the-key-to-success-and-self-confidence/

Miller, K. A. (2020, October 12). 5+ Ways to Develop a Growth Mindset Using Grit and Resilience. Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/5-ways-develop-grit-resilience/

 

 

 

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