Spotlight on Grit

  Albert Einstein once said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” This quote exemplifies the concept of grit. Angela Duckworth, PhD About five years ago, Dr. Angela Duckworth published her book, Grit, which focused on the power of both passion and perseverance in one’s success in life.…

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Grit – Passion and Perseverance

What makes someone successful? Is it intellect? Education? Physical health? Talent? Maybe luck? According to Dr. Angela Duckworth from the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, it is none of those things. In her 2016 bestselling book – Grit – she interviewed successful people in a wide variety of professions – business, sports,…

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Praising Hard Work Can Make Infants More Persistent

When you were a kid, maybe you read The Little Engine That Could, a story about a modest train locomotive whose persistence pays off. One possible reason for this story’s popularity is that many parents see persistence as a core ingredient for life success to pass on to their children. This emphasis on hard work…

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Why Trying to Find Your Passion Might Backfire

Find your passion. It seems like such self-evidently good life advice. But it’s worth stopping to think about what it means to “find” your passion. The implication behind this phrase is that your passion already exists somewhere, and you just have to uncover it. What if passion is something that develops over time, though? What…

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