Grit and Discipline

Discipline
Shervin Sadr

Grit; the power of passion and perseverance
By: Angela Duckworth

The price of discipline doesn't compare to the pain of failure. Angela Duckworth's investigation into the world of talent and achievement seeks to explain this very idea. Through the process of surveying and interviewing people of great talent and wonderful achievements, she wishes to reveal whether it really is the God given talent that drives people to success, or if there is an underlying factor. What she finds is that hard work and discipline is the main factor in determining success. In her quest to find the answer to the question of what people see as which is more important in determining success, and if we today "are distracted by talent" (22), Angela claims that "Americans are twice as likely to single out effort" (23).

This book is a great inspiration, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys great success stories, and reading of the keys to working hard and being successful. Anyone who feels that they are not "talented" enough, or not skilled enough to accomplish whatever it may be that they wish to do, can learn something from this analysis of hard work and grit leading to success.

I personally relate to this book on monumental levels, as I was always smaller than everyone, less talented, and less gifted than everyone else. However, I am and always have been grittier and more disciplined than everyone else, and because of it, people think I am wildly talented. As Angela seeks to explain, this is a common misconception is our culture today. Instead of saying "Wow that person is very disciplined and hard working", we  jump to conclude "Wow that person is so talented!" This is why effort and hard work tends to escape many people who wish to succeed today, because they just assume that success comes from talent, and talent only.

Hard work and discipline are the real measure of one's character, and success. Angela Duckworth's novel Grit gives great analysis to the real unit of measurement of success.