0:00 At West Point, one out of every five cadets drops out before graduation — but it’s not the smartest or the strongest who are guaranteed to stay.0:09 It’s the ones with grit.0:11 Last week, in episode eight, we talked about unpacking books that change how you think, and let me tell you, Angela Duckworth's 'Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance' absolutely rearranges the furniture in your head about what it takes to succeed.0:28 It’s a game-changer.0:29 So what even is grit?0:31 It’s not talent.0:32 It's not luck.0:33 Duckworth defines it as passion and perseverance applied to long-term goals.0:38 And it has two parts.0:39 The first is passion, but not in the "follow your bliss" way.0:44 It's more like a compass.0:45 An enduring, directed, obsessive interest in something that you stick with for years.0:51 The second part is perseverance.0:53 Stamina.0:54 It’s finishing the chapter when you’re tired.0:57 It’s doing the reps when you’re sore.0:59 It’s treating life like a marathon, not a sprint.1:03 Here's the part that really got me.1:05 Duckworth has these two simple equations.1:08 The first is: Talent times Effort equals Skill.1:11 Okay, that makes sense.1:13 But the second one is: Skill times Effort equals Achievement.1:17 Did you catch that?1:18 Effort counts twice.1:19 It’s the thing that turns your raw talent into a usable skill, and it’s ALSO the thing that takes that skill and produces actual results in the world.1:29 Talent is what you’re born with.1:32 Grit is what you do with it.1:34 And that's why you see incredibly talented people who never amount to much...1:39 and people who seem to come from nowhere and just dominate through sheer force of will.1:45 They’re not just working hard, they’re working on the right things, for a long time, and they don’t quit.1:52 So how do you get more of it?1:54 Duckworth says gritty people have four psychological assets in common.1:58 Think of them like four legs of a table.2:01 First is Interest.2:02 You have to actually, genuinely be curious about what you’re doing.2:07 You can’t be gritty about something you hate.2:10 Second is Practice.2:11 Specifically, deliberate practice.2:14 The kind that’s focused, that pushes you just past your comfort zone, and that constantly seeks feedback.2:21 It’s not just putting in ten thousand hours; it’s putting in ten thousand smart hours.2:26 The third, and this is a big one, is Purpose.2:30 The conviction that your work matters to people other than yourself.2:34 This is the rocket fuel.2:36 When you believe what you’re doing has a positive impact on others, it makes it a lot easier to push through the tough days.2:44 And finally, number four is Hope.2:46 Not a flimsy, wishing-on-a-star kind of hope.2:49 It’s the belief that your own efforts can improve your future.2:54 It’s rising to the occasion.2:56 It's knowing that you can and will get back up after you fall.3:00 It's a growth mindset.3:01 Okay, so what does this all mean for you, this week?3:05 Here are two things from the book you can start doing right now.3:09 First, adopt what Duckworth's family calls the "Hard Thing Rule." It's simple.3:14 You have to pick one thing—one "hard thing"—that requires daily, deliberate practice.3:20 Learning an instrument, training for a 5k, mastering a new coding language, whatever.3:26 The second part of the rule is you are not allowed to quit.3:30 At least, not until a natural stopping point, like the end of the semester, or the end of the race season.3:37 You can pick a new hard thing next time, but you can’t quit in the middle just because you had a bad day.3:44 Second, take fifteen minutes and try to write a purpose statement.3:49 Connect what you do to how it helps other people.3:52 You don't have to be curing cancer.3:54 Maybe your hard thing is getting better at your job.3:58 So, how does that help your team?4:00 Your customers?4:01 Your family?4:02 Connecting your daily effort to a bigger 'why' is the single best way to fuel your perseverance when things get boring or frustrating.4:11 Grit isn't about some superhuman display of willpower.4:15 It's about directing your energy, day after day, toward something that matters to you.4:20 It's about falling down seven times, and getting up eight.4:24 So this week isn't about finding some magical new passion.4:28 It's about looking at the things you're already doing and asking: Where can I stick it out just one more day?4:36 Because grit isn't something you're born with.4:39 It's something you build.
