Importance of Perseverance for Students: The Power of Grit

Introduction

Grit is the product of passion and perseverance. Although both words describe different meanings, they both make up the amount of grit one possesses. The literal meaning of passion is being consistent with a goal over a long period of time. On the other hand, perseverance means the ability to overcome challenges or fears through hard work and dedication. The importance of perseverance for students cannot be overstated; it is a fundamental element in developing grit. Anyone can achieve grit through the amount of passion or perseverance one has. Having stamina, sticking to the future every day for years, and making the future into a reality is what grit is defined as. The only way to build up or grow grit is through the effort of trying to be better.

The Essence of Grit: Passion and Perseverance

Not that long after, the grit scale was developed to measure the amount of grit one would possess in their life. When an individual expresses passion and perseverance that is beyond the norm, one would say that the person is a “natural”. It is possible for a person who has gone through passion and perseverance to be on the same level of expertise as a person with the “natural” ability. Additionally, these two characteristics allow for the accomplishment of previous things to be finished and not be given up. Also, one can differentiate a higher achiever with one below if grit is expressed. An example that can demonstrate the difference is grades or IQ scores between the highest and lowest performers. Many of the below average performing students are considered as the smartest. Working hard, excelling, and persevering in a study will cause the student to become phenomenal at that subject. Never giving up and continuing to strive for the goal to become greater is what indicates if an individual is passionate or not. People who are talented that do not realize their full potential become less “talented” than someone who is talented and hard working. Success is not always given to the person with most talent, instead, grit is the main factor.

Students and Focus on Passion and Perseverance

Most people associate success or achievements through talent, which is usually not true. Other good examples that cause others to easily understand this theory is dropouts from a vigorous school called West Point Academy, children who advanced in the National Spelling Bee, college students that dropped out and what type of university they attended, and the treadmill test. Actor Will Smith has also agreed to this type of view as well. He believed that he was never talented and that there were others who were better than him in many categories. Nevertheless, Will Smith knows he would never be outworked because of his strong will to go the distance of not being a failure. His example was the treadmill test and said, “But if we get on the treadmill together, there’s two things: You’re getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple.” Hard working, never giving up, and dedication is what Will Smith is trying to point out. In any case, being passionate is usually associated with people that show enthusiasm, enjoyment, excitement, and interest in what they do. Hence, that person will become motivated into what they are doing and strive to continue it. Meanwhile, perseverance is the key to overtake challenges. These challenges are a test to express the amount of commitment we have, risk-taking abilities we each possess, and getting out of our comfort zone in order to overcome the difficulties.

Conclusion

All in all, passion and perseverance are two completely different subjects, but they are very important to how gritty we are, which will lead to success.

References

1. Duckworth, Angela. 'Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.' Scribner, 2016.
2. Dweck, Carol S. 'Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.' Ballantine Books, 2007.
3. Grit Scale. University of Pennsylvania, https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~duckwort/images/12-item%20Grit%20Scale.