Grit predicted success better than I.Q., SAT scores and past grades

“the secret of grit is ‘tenaciously pursuing something over the long term’. Sure you know that, but since the typical American watches TV up to five hours daily, who has time for grit and/or passion?

[..] “Persistence and determination is the secret because we learn by our ‘mistakes’. Working on a skill daily produces ‘Kaizen’, small improvements that add up to massive reactions. We get better, little by little, until we own the skill or knowledge through practice.”

[..] The grit research on 1,223 West Point entering freshmen predicted success better than I.Q., SAT scores and past grades. This grit thing was a better predictor of winning than anything else for contestants in a National Spelling Bee, and kids in an elite prep school. It applies to them, and to all of us.

Until you get mad, excite your brain’s amygdala, you and I will seek out distractions and refuse to put in the time to win the marbles. If you aint passionate about something in a negative way, it is a pipedream not a reality.”

Got Grit? by H. Bernard Wechsler