The concept of “grit” is perhaps the hottest trend in education circles these days, the idea that students who have a certain fire in their belly outperform those with high IQ or natural talent. Just this month, a book with the same name rose to the top of the bestsellers list, written by the University of Pennsylvania psychologist who turned the term into a buzzword in recent years.
Angela Duckworth’s research has found that the most successful people are those not only with self-discipline but also with a singular determination to accomplish a task, no matter the obstacles.