A Coach's Diary

What’s more important than talent? Grit. We often look at ultra-successful people — star athletes, brilliant scientists, billionaire CEOs — and assume they possess some magical, innate talent we ordinary folks missed out on. But psychologist Angela Duckworth spent years studying high achievers (from West Point cadets to National Spelling Bee champions) and discovered this: Talent is highly overrated. The real secret to outstanding achievement isn't a high IQ or natural-born skill. It’s Grit . Duckworth defines grit as passion and perseverance for long-term, meaningful goals. Grit is about stamina and sticking with your future, day in and day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years — and working really hard to make that future a reality. Talent determines how fast your skills improve when you invest effort. But achievement happens when you take those skills and apply even more effort.  Without grit, your talent is nothing more than unmet potential. The be...

“Enthusiasm is rare. Endurance is contagious.” - Angela Duckworth Do you have the stamina and endurance to keep going when the enthusiasm wears off? Angela Duckworth is a psychologist who studies what helps people persist when their path gets hard. She’s best known for her research on grit — the idea that passion and perseverance can help you do whatever you want to do. She once said, “Enthusiasm is rare. Endurance is contagious.” Nothing feels better than a rush of motivation except steady, consistent, discipline. Great things are achieved when you have a healthy combination of ambition and endurance that is fueled by big dreams and a commitment to showing up ready and doing your job with integrity and excellence. Enthusiasm gets you moving. Endurance keeps you moving. Have goals that get you going, and have the character to keep going. Question of the Day: How can you build the kind of endurance that keeps you going when the endurance fades away?