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Grit Essay

To commit to run a marathon, one must have extreme motivation and determination.

Additionally, while running, it is imperative not to spend all one’s energy in the first five

minutes. In summary, what one really needs in this situation is nothing other than grit.

Educational psychologist Angela Ducksworth, a huge advocator for the importance of grit,

defines it as “passion and perseverance”. In other words, to achieve something, one must really

be motivated to do it, and be willing to work at it. Ducksworth is accurate in her emphasis on

grit. Although natural talent does play a part in achievements, grit is the most important indicator

of success as it allows one to overcome challenges and leads one to a truly coveted goal.

With grit, one will be able to overcome challenges in the way of the end goal. From an

early age, my sister loved to read. She devoured books at an alarming rate, as one might a

delicious meal. My parents often had to tell her to put her book down to get her to do anything

else. However, around second grade, her teacher discovered that she had trouble processing what

she read, and she thus was put in the reading comprehension class. Because she had a true

passion for reading, my sister chose to have grit and persevere, surmounting this obstacle and

coming out with more skills for it. Now, she is an even more avid reader, and is able to read

complicated novels with ease. With grit, one is able to surmount obstacles instead of being

stopped by them, thus bringing them to success.

Not only does grit help people overcome obstacles, it also leads one to achieve things one

actually wants. Far too many people do things out of obligation, resigning to doing what other

people want them to rather than what is truly right for them. For example, a young child might be

pressured to become a doctor by their parents, when they really want to be an astronaut. It is no

secret that people are more inclined to put effort towards things we really want. Consequently, if
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that child has grit and focuses on their passion for space travel, they will be far more motivated

to work to get that job and will eventually achieve it. Becoming an astronaut will be a much

greater success to that person than becoming a doctor, since they would be happy and interested

in that profession. Through having grit, one will go down the path that is right for them, leading

to the purest form of success, true happiness.

Some may claim that natural talent is the biggest factor leading to success, arguing that if

one is naturally good at something it will be easy to build towards a goal. While having talent in

a certain field does give an individual a head start to success, a lack of grit will ensure failure. If

one is good at something, but has no passion for it, they will quickly burn out. Moreover, people

with natural talent for something may overestimate their ability and end up failing for lack of

hard work put in, while someone with perseverance will reach the goal eventually. Think of the

story of the Tortoise and the Hare. The tortoise, with grit, ends up being successful in his end

goal, while the hare, with natural speed, loses the race.

In closing, it is apparent that grit is the best predictor of success, helping one overcome

obstacles and achieve a goal that makes one truly happy. Natural talent, though helpful, is not

necessary to be successful. However, having grit is not as difficult as it might seem. One must

simply find what they love in life, and stick with it, even if one gets discouraged. If more people

in life have grit, many more achievements will continue to be made, and we will be able to move

much farther along as a society.