50. The Power of Grit (and YES! You can learn it!)

If you were to hear that someone is "gritty" what would you think of? Are they dripping with sweat and clenching their teeth? Do they stink from all that hard work? Are they friendly or do they growl at you if you come too close? It's funny to think about … but today, I hope to turn that around a little bit. I've never really thought of myself as particularly gritty (though that changed a bit this year), but the more I learn about it, the more I want to BE a gritty person In Paul Tough's book, "How Children Succeed," he lists grit as one of the 7 traits of successful people. And I don't think it's an accident that he consistently lists grit as the first trait. (Oh, and for what it's worth, I wish he'd name that book "How People Succeed" because it's certainly not just about children. I highly recommend you read it.)