Grit: What Everyone Needs To Know About Success

After a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth taught seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn’t the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Angela Duckworth’s new book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, debuted May 3, 2016.  A University of Pennsylvania Psychology Professor, Angela is also the founder and scientific director of the Character Lab. This is a nonprofit whose mission is to advance the science and practice of character development. Angela studies grit and self-control, two attributes that are distinct from IQ and yet powerfully predict success and well-being.

In her January 2015 study for the University of Stanford on Self-Control and Grit: Related but Separable Determinants of Success, she uncovered a few insights. Other than talent and opportunity, what makes some people more successful than others is self-control. The capacity to regulate attention, emotion, and behavior in the presence of temptation is a shift. Her Ted Talk on Grit is quick inspiration. Share it and celebrate grit and graduations with Angela and Spafinder by tweeting #MonthOfGrit @spafinder along with your story.  Because, for many, this is the last month of school and the beginning of summer. It’s a perfect time to pause and reflect on what it takes to get to the next chapter. Always take along a Spafinder gift card of course! Grit: The power of passion and Perseverance makes a great graduation gift.