Grit Book Summary Review: a combination of passion and persistence.

This time Table Note will discuss the book Grit by Angela Duckworth. Talent is not enough, you need the grit to keep doing something, despite failing countless times.

This book discusses the secret of one's achievements in life. As it turned out, that achievement did not come from talent, it's a combination of passion and persistence. The combination of the two, what Angela calls Grit or fortitude. Grit is a recipe that makes a person do something continuously, even though it has failed many times. In her book, Angela also emphasizes, just focusing on talent is not enough, because there is something more influential than talent.

Table Note summarizes it into three interesting points from this book: 

First, What is Grit?

Getting into the West Point military academy in the United States turns out to be much more difficult than getting into Harvard University. Not only do you have to reach the highest score, but prospective cadets must also have extraordinary physical and mental endurance. Even though, still, some people decide to leave after they were accepted into the academy. Many psychologists are trying to find out, how come there are people who endure harsh conditions in the military academy and some don't. It turns out, cadets who made it through their freshman year at West Point have the same character as a person who manages to endure a challenging career. That character is grit.

For information, West Point has two months of orientation for new cadets, at this time many cadets dropped out. The cadets who survive are the types of cadets who continue to survive failure. This is typical of successful people in general. They have high standards and hard-to-reach goals. They have high passion. They are excited and know where to go. Simply put, they show the character of Grit which is a combination of passion and persistence.

Interestingly, as we get older, One's grit level also increased. Life experiences can change a person. We learn about our likes and dislikes. We also adapt over time. We change when needed. Most importantly, Grit is not static, we can develop it. If you want to increase your grit level, maybe you can ask yourself first, why is your grit level low? There are many reasons people give up. Maybe because they are bored, feel it's useless, or don't believe in their own abilities. To solve this, Angela suggests there are four traits of Grit that you need.

1. Preferences. Do what you like. In this phase, many people initially try many things. As time goes by, she finally found out what she really liked.
2. Practice. Whatever you like for something, if you don't practice, then you won't improve. Exercise every day until the end you can master these skills.
3. Aim. What is the reason you do this? Goals usually speak of self-desire to contribute to things bigger than themselves. Usually, a person spends years developing their skills and interests, before finally finding their purpose in life.
4. Hope. Hope is expected if the efforts we do can produce a better future. This point is what gives us the strength to keep going every time we meet failure.

Second, Talent and Business Relationship

When someone achieves something in his life, we label them as gifted. However, talent is not an extraordinary thing, in fact, it is commonplace. We feel that talent is a gift and something that happens naturally, but that talent will only produce extraordinary results if coupled with effort. 

Angela provided a formula for why the effort factor is very important. Talent coupled with effort becomes expertise. When the skill is added with effort, it will be a success. In this formula, the effort is counted twice. The effort will build expertise and effort too that will turn expertise into productivity. The formula is, efforts can make someone do something continuously, no matter how hard, repetition will make it easy. But, of course, on the way, many have given up. This is why persistence is important. Persistence will keep a person in his position to do something for a long time until finally, he became a master in his field. Although hard work is important, in fact, in our hearts, we are still thinking that talent is more important than hard work.

In 2011, some studies provide music experts with two types of recordings. The first records came from talented musicians, while the second recording came from musicians who worked hard for years. Although initially, these music experts said that they were more inclined to work hard, but the results showed the opposite. The majority of these musical experts choose the first record that comes from a talented musician. Uniquely, the two recordings came from the same musician. That is the reality in the world, where people with natural talent are considered better than hardworking people.

Third, how to develop Grit level 

A conducive environment can help someone to develop grit levels. Angela divided it into three, namely, parenting, training ground, and culture. 

1. Parenting is not only limited to blood relations, it is a behavior to develop others. This relationship can also be carried out by the teacher, coach, or anyone able to provide guidance for others. A person with a high level of grit usually has the least one person who motivates him to be able to develop the potential that is in him.
2. The second is extracurricular matters. Research proves, children who actively participate in activities outside the classroom, have better abilities in many fields. As long as the child's schedule is not too busy, extracurricular activities will help their growth. 
3. The last one is culture. The values ?? held by the company or organization are also able to grow one's grit level. Simply put, if you want your life to change, then, join the right community. For example, if you want to cycle regularly, try joining a bicycle group. You will be surrounded by people that have an equivalent passion. In the end, their passion will rub off on you and without you knowing it, eventually, it will become a habit. Potential in yourself is important, but far more important is the hard work you put in. Grit is a recipe that keeps you struggling even though conditions are not easy.

Thank you for reading Grit Angela Duckworth Book Summary Review: a combination of passion and persistence, the author hopes that you have a happy day.