Angela Duckworth‘s book GRIT: The POWER of PASSION and PERSEVERANCE is one that feels like it is obvious throughout. Of course, the successful people are the ones that work hard. Sure, it takes perseverance to succeed at hard things… where is the mystery? While there may not be a mystery, GRIT is actually a really good read.

In it, Duckworth dispels the myths of natural born talent or even dumb luck. Through her research she shows that success in anything is more often than not a result of simply not giving up. Don’t get me wrong. To summarize this in just a couple paragraphs does this book a big disservice.

Whether you read it for the motivational aspect or the research that shows you have no excuse for your lack of success, read it. It is good stuff. The parallels between Duckworth’s research and my own reflections on the importance of the lessons taught by Texas high school football are clear.

by Chris Doelle