When it comes to getting ahead, a concept called grit might be an important part of achieving your goals.
Grit is a trait that's a mix of passion and perseverance, and it might have more to do with success than talent alone.
Angela Duckworth, the researcher who came up with the scientific definition of grit (and demonstrated its importance), has cautioned that the concept is often over-hyped and misunderstood to mean something that's closer to conscientiousness than grit. But it's more than just working hard.
"The misunderstanding — or, at least, one of them — is that it’s only the perseverance part that matters," she told Melissa Dahl at the Science of Us. "But I think that the passion piece is at least as important ... If you are really, really tenacious and dogged about a goal that's not meaningful to you, and not interesting to you — then that’s just drudgery. It’s not just determination — it’s having a direction that you care about."
To explain the concept further, Happify, a website and app that uses science-based interactive activities aimed at increasing your happiness, made this graphic. Just don't forget that passion has to be part of the mix.
