Grit - Angela duckworth: 7 mindset hacks that fuel massive biz success

Scan Time: 3-5 minutes / Read time: 5-7- minutes 

Chapters in book: 12 / Chapters in here: 12 (same order as book)

Hey rebel solopreneurs 🦸‍♂️🦸‍♀️

Think talent is everything?

Nope!

You've been sold the biggest lie in business - that you need some magical gift to succeed.

While you're sitting there wondering if you're "smart enough" or "creative enough," gritty solopreneurs are quietly building empires.

But here's the crazy part - Angela Duckworth's research in her book "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance" with West Point cadets, spelling bee champions, and Olympic athletes proves that passion + perseverance beats talent every single time.

Time to crack this mystery.

💰 Multi-millionaire entrepreneurs who love this book

⛳️ The author's journey: From talent obsession to grit discovery

Angela grew up in a house where her father was obsessed with genius.

Who's smarter - Mozart or Beethoven?

Matisse or Picasso?

These dinner table debates taught her that talent was everything.

But when she became a seventh-grade math teacher, something weird happened.

Her best students weren't always her smartest students.

The kids who succeeded had something else - they kept going when things got tough.

This observation changed everything.

She left teaching to become a psychologist and spent years studying high achievers.

"I grew up to become a psychologist who studies pretty much everything that is not your innate talent," says Angela.

Her breakthrough came when she studied West Point cadets, spelling bee contestants, and teachers in tough schools.

Get this - "This common denominator that I have identified in high achievers, whether they're athletes or musicians or investors, is grit," adds Angela.

Let's crack Angela's grit strategies that will turn your self-doubt into unstoppable momentum, so you can build the business you deserve.

1. 🚀 Start treating your business like a science experiment (Grit beats talent)

🧸 Example

West Point Military Academy is one of the toughest schools in America.

About 1,000 new cadets enter each year, but 20% quit before graduation.

Most drop out during "The Beast" - a brutal two-week initiation designed to weed out the weak.

You'd think the smartest or strongest cadets would be most likely to survive, right?

Wrong!

Angela found that initial assessments measuring innate ability barely predicted who would make it.

The cadets with higher grit scores - those who combined passion with perseverance - were far more likely to graduate, regardless of their test scores or athletic abilities.

🔥 The power insight

• Grit beats talent means your ability to stick with something matters more than your starting skills

• Most solopreneurs quit before their business has a chance to work

🍿

• It's like planting a garden - the person who waters consistently gets tomatoes, not the person with the "greenest thumb" who gives up after two weeks

• Great foundation set... but what's our culture obsessed with instead?

2. 🎯 Stop chasing shiny talent and start building skills (Talent obsession)

🧸 Example

Angela's dad was singularly obsessed with achievement and genius.

Growing up, family dinners were debates about who was the bigger genius.

This created an environment where talent was everything and she never saw herself as gifted.

But this "disadvantage" became her superpower.

Without the safety net of believing she was naturally talented, she had to find other ways to achieve her ambitious goals.

She developed an "I'll show you" mentality that drove her to work harder and longer than others.

🔥 The power insight

• Talent obsession means our culture's fixation on natural ability blinds us to what really drives success

• When you believe talent is everything, you give up too easily when things get hard

🍿

• It's like believing only people born with "cooking genes" can make great food, while ignoring the chef who practices knife skills every single day

• But wait, if talent isn't everything... how does effort actually work?

3. 💪 Make effort count twice in your business (Double impact)

🧸 Example

Researchers studied German violinists at a prestigious music academy.

They found something shocking about what separated future professionals from future teachers.

The "elite" performers had practiced over 10,000 hours by age 20.

The "good" performers had only practiced about 8,000 hours.

The difference wasn't some magical music gene.

It was sustained effort over years and years.

But here's the twist - effort counted twice in their success formula.

🔥 The power insight

• Double impact means effort builds skill, and then effort makes that skill productive

• The formula is: Talent × Effort = Skill, then Skill × Effort = Achievement

🍿

• It's like learning to drive - first you practice to get skilled, then you use those skills to actually go places

• Skills developing nicely... but how gritty are you really?

4. 📊 Measure what actually predicts your success (Grit scale)

🧸 Example

At the National Spelling Bee, kids who seem equally smart compete for the championship.

Angela gave contestants the Grit Scale questionnaire.

The results were eye-opening.

Contestants with higher grit scores spent way more time studying than their less gritty peers.

They practiced with flashcards longer, studied word origins deeper, and didn't give up when words got impossible.

When competition day came, the grittiest spellers performed better even when researchers controlled for verbal intelligence.

The difference wasn't raw smarts - it was sustained effort.

🔥 The power insight

• Grit scale means you can measure your combination of consistency of interests and perseverance of effort

• Most people confuse intensity in the moment with sustained effort over time

🍿

• It's like the difference between sprinting really fast for 100 meters versus maintaining a steady pace for a marathon

• Numbers looking good... but can you actually get grittier?

5. 🌱 Build your grit like a muscle (Growing grit)

🧸 Example

Pete Carroll coached the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory.

His secret wasn't just drawing up great plays.

He transformed the team culture by focusing on each player's personal growth.

Carroll believed "nobody can reach their full potential without a coach."

He created an environment where players developed grit through four key areas.

They found their interests, practiced deliberately, connected to purpose, and maintained hope through losses.

The result was a team culture where persistence became contagious.

🔥 The power insight

Here's the thing - Growing grit means you can develop it through four psychological assets: interest, practice, purpose, and hope

• These assets don't develop in order - you can work on all four at different times

🍿

• It's like building physical fitness - you need cardio, strength, flexibility, and endurance working together

• Grit growing strong... but how do you find what you're passionate about?

6. 🔍 Discover passion through exploration, not inspiration (Passion discovery)

🧸 Example

Jeff Bezos didn't wake up one day knowing he'd create Amazon.

As a kid, he explored everything - space, computers, finance.

His passion for e-commerce emerged gradually as he learned about the internet's potential.

He became deeply engaged with solving the puzzle of online retail.

The more challenges he encountered, the deeper his passion grew.

It wasn't a lightning bolt moment.

It was discovery, followed by development, followed by a lifetime of deepening.

🔥 The power insight

• Passion discovery means passion isn't found in a moment - it's cultivated through exploration and engagement

• Most people wait for passion to strike instead of actively developing interests

🍿

• It's like developing a taste for wine - you don't fall in love at first sip, you learn to appreciate complexity over time

• Interest sparked... but how do you actually get better?

7. 🎯 Practice like an elite performer (Deliberate practice)

🧸 Example

Olympic swimmers don't just swim laps mindlessly.

They work with coaches to identify specific technical flaws.

A swimmer might spend an entire session just working on hand entry angle.

They set stretch goals for improvement, practice elements in isolation with 100% focus, get immediate feedback, then refine their approach.

This isn't fun practice - it's deliberately uncomfortable.

But this focused effort to improve specific weaknesses is what separates Olympic champions from recreational swimmers.

The same principles apply to any skill.

🔥 The power insight

But wait - Deliberate practice means working on specific aspects of performance with focused effort to improve weaknesses

• Most people confuse busy work or repetition with deliberate practice

🍿

• It's like the difference between mindlessly lifting weights versus targeting specific muscle groups with perfect form

• Skills sharpening... but what keeps you going long-term?

8. 🎯 Connect your work to something bigger (Meaning connection)

🧸 Example

Kat Cole started as a Hooters waitress.

She became CEO of Focus Brands, running Auntie Anne's and Cinnabon.

What sustained her through the demanding work wasn't money or recognition.

She found purpose in helping franchise owners build their American dream.

She created opportunities for employees to advance their careers.

This sense of serving others kept her going through tough decisions and long hours.

Her work became about more than business success - it was about impact.

🔥 The power insight

• Meaning connection means gritty people link their daily work to something larger than themselves

• Purpose isn't just nice to have - it's fuel for persistence

🍿

• It's like the difference between digging a hole versus building a foundation for someone's dream home

• Purpose clear... but what happens when everything goes wrong?

9. 🌟 Turn setbacks into comebacks (Optimistic persistence)

🧸 Example

Sara Blakely failed at multiple businesses before Spanx.

Each failure could have been evidence that she wasn't cut out for entrepreneurship.

Instead, she viewed each failure as education.

When developing Spanx, she faced rejection after rejection from manufacturers and department stores.

Her hope didn't come from blind optimism.

It came from believing she could improve her situation through effort and learning.

She focused on what she could control rather than external circumstances.

This hope sustained her until she built a billion-dollar business.

🔥 The power insight

• Optimistic persistence means hope isn't wishful thinking - it's believing you can improve through your own efforts

• Gritty people reframe failures as data, not verdicts

🍿

• It's like a scientist who sees failed experiments as steps toward discovery, not reasons to quit research

• Mindset strong... but how do you build systems for persistence?

10. 🏆 Create your own hard thing rule (Hard thing rule)

🧸 Example

In Angela's family, everyone including parents must do a "hard thing."

Something that requires daily deliberate practice.

Her daughter chose piano, the other chose viola.

Angela chose psychological research and yoga.

Her husband chose real estate development and running.

The rule has three parts: everyone does a hard thing, you can quit but only at natural stopping points like end of season, and you get to pick your hard thing.

This isn't tyrannical - it's practice for building grit muscles.

🔥 The power insight

• Hard thing rule means systematically practicing persistence through challenging commitments with clear endpoints

• You build grit by doing hard things regularly, not just when you feel like it

🍿

• It's like going to the gym for your persistence muscles - you need regular workouts to get stronger

• Personal systems working... but what about your environment?

11. 🌍 Surround yourself with gritty people (Culture power)

🧸 Example

Finland has a cultural concept called "sisu" - inner strength and determination.

This isn't just a nice idea - it's a shared value passed down through generations.

Finnish people often display remarkable perseverance because their culture reinforces it.

Similarly, Patagonia built a company culture where persistence toward environmental goals is valued and celebrated.

Employees aren't just selling outdoor gear - they're part of a mission.

This cultural environment makes individual grit easier to maintain.

🔥 The power insight

• Culture power means your environment significantly influences your ability to develop and maintain grit

• Most solopreneurs underestimate how much their surroundings affect their persistence

🍿

• It's like trying to eat healthy while living in a house full of junk food versus having a kitchen stocked with vegetables

• Culture building... but how do you create lasting systems?

12. 🏗️ Build systems that reward persistence (Grit multiplication)

🧸 Example

KIPP charter schools explicitly teach and celebrate grit alongside math and reading.

Students learn about famous examples of perseverance.

They track their own grit development like they track test scores.

The schools have mottos like "Work Hard. Be Nice."

They create traditions that celebrate effort and getting better over natural ability.

Teachers praise students for sticking with difficult problems, not for being smart.

This systematic approach creates a culture where grit becomes normal.

🔥 The power insight

• Grit multiplication means organizations can systematically build persistence through shared values and practices

• Individual willpower isn't enough - you need supportive systems

🍿

• It's like the difference between relying on motivation to exercise versus having a gym membership, workout buddy, and scheduled classes

🧘‍♀️ The simple success recipe

1. Choose effort over talent - Focus on what you can control through practice

2. Practice deliberately - Target specific weaknesses with focused improvement

3. Connect to purpose - Link your daily work to impact on others

🥂 Your turn!

That's it, my fellow rebels!

Grit isn't about gritting your teeth and pushing through pain.

It's about combining passion and perseverance for long-term goals in a way that makes the journey sustainable.

"Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint," says Angela.

Today, pick one skill in your business and practice it deliberately for 30 minutes - focus on your biggest weakness with 100% attention.

Remember: talent might get you started, but grit gets you finished.

Time to crack open the safe.

Keep zoooming 🚀🍧

Yours 'helping you build a biz with almost zero-risk' vijay peduru 🦸‍♂️