In the WIT GRIT FIT Framework, we use GRIT as a shorthand for Performance Character. Performance Character traits are what amplifies our natural abilities and skills, which includes grit, curiosity and other positive traits. In our career guidance workshop, we help students and working professionals discover what their GRIT is. Grit is passion and perseverance for long-term goals, and that is incredibly important in determining long-term career success. Grit isn’t talent. Grit isn’t luck. Grit isn’t how intensely, for the moment, you want something. Instead, grit is about having what some researchers call an”ultimate concern”–a goal you care about so much that it organizes and gives meaning to almost everything you do. And grit is holding steadfast to that goal. Even when you fall down. Even when you screw up. Even when progress toward that goal is halting or slow. Talent and luck matter to success. But talent and luck are no guarantee of grit. And in the very long run, Angela Duckworth, the best-selling author who popularized the concept of Grit, thinks grit may matter as least as much, if not more. In his book “How Children Succeed”, Paul Tough identifies these Performance Character traits: Curiosity Gratitude Grit Optimism Self Control Social Intelligence Zest Learn about WITGRITFIT through a simulation game and apply career design principles to find your unique advantage
GRIT:
Hear it from the expert herself
So what actually is Grit?
One way to think about grit is to consider what grit isn’t.
A strong desire to learn or know something
A thankful appreciation for what one receives, whether tangible or intangible
The ability to persevere and have passion for long-term goals
An active recognition of the positive aspects of life
The ability to control behaviours in order to avoid temptations and to achieve goals; the ability to delay gratification and resist unwanted behaviours
The ability to get along with others; the capacity to communicate and form relationships with empathy and assertiveness
The ability to go about life with energy and enthusiasm, giving enough time and attention to relish each experience
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About the Workshop
Career Design Workshop
