Angela Duckworth , who spearheaded this study , has also followed West Point cadets , and students at elite universities , sales people and teachers . In every case , she found that grit , not intelligence , academic achievement , or talent was a better predictor of success , well-being and happiness . Grit , at least in males , also proved to be a better predictor of whether the subject was married and would stay married than standard personality traits .
“ The idea that kids have to get straight A ’ s in everything and to take advanced classes is misguided ,”
Duckworth says . Granted some children are born grittier than others . But unlike IQ , which is relatively fixed , grit is something that can be acquired and harnessed . So how do you cultivate grit in your child ? Here are some tips .
Start early . Start young , but start early in the day too . Admiral Williams McRaven in the book “ Grit to Great ” is found saying that the number one lesson he learned from his Navy SEAL training was making your bed . “ It starts you off in the beginning of the day doing something that you have to learn how to do perfectly ,” he says , “ and if you , by chance , have a terrible day , when you come home , at least you ’ ve done one thing right .” The idea is to assign a task in the morning that your child is in charge of and can feel good about accomplishing at the first onset of the day . The challenge for parents here is to resist the urge to remake the bed your child made , which would send the message that their efforts aren ’ t good enough .
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