Book Review Of Beyond Grit By Cindra Kamphoff

What does grit mean ? According to psychologist Angela Duckworth, grit is defined as“the sustained effort toward a long-term goal.” Do you have grit because I do. I have Demonstrated grit many times in my life and I learn that not everyone is perfect.

It is within human nature to be competitive. While it is one of the most basic and primal instincts that has ensured our survival for centuries, today has become more for personal achievement. In movies, shows and on the internet we are constantly exposed to people competing for various reason. Athletes compete for the gold medal, game show contestants for money prizes and characters in movies for the object of their affections. When we best the challenges we decide to face, we often receive an overwhelming feeling of success along with the prize and, in turn, our confidence is boosted drastically. We are encourage to become the best versions of ourselves. However, when our attempts end in failure, we feel disappointed in ourselves and are discouraged from pushing ourselves again. In modern times, individuals often lack the motivation to challenge themselves because they fear their odds of failure. They would rather remain apathetic than even attempt to push themselves. It is essential that we have the dedication, fortitude and courage to regain the confidence to at least attempt a challenge or alter it to make it more beneficial to ourselves.

It is my job as a coach to help develop athletes physically, psychologically, and socially while helping them have fun by playing a sport. I will do this by being enthusiastic and having a positive attitude in practice, games, and while not coaching. This cooperative approach to coaching will create a sense of community within the team I coach, and the athletes will feel more welcome to discuss their thoughts, ideas, questions, and concerns with me. Creating this setting and relationships with athletes will only benefit the team by creating a team culture necessary for the well-being and success of high school sports’ teams. Success in sports means accomplishing goals set by the team, not winning. Winning is important, but just striving to win is even more vital toward the success of teams. As a coach, I will also be a motivator for athletes. Athletes will see me come to practice with a positive attitude, displaying my passion. This is the beginning of how I will motivate athletes. Motivation starts with my attitude, and athletes pick up on this. In order to motivate and want to be motivated, there must be a reason, a why? I will use the teams’ goals they will set, in order to motivate them to give their best effort in order to achieve success by reaching their

Throughout Grit, Angela Duckworth argues that grit is the single most important factor in determining success of an individual. She splits the argument into three parts: the concept of grit and why it matters, the proper use and understanding of the goal hierarchy, and how an individual can develop grit. Duckworth’s argument is important because it replaces the traditional viewpoint of success being determined by talent to one which sees success as a result of passion and perseverance.

In Chapter 9 of Grit, Angela Duckworth argues that a growth mindset, rather than a fixed mindset, leads to more success. She shows that a growth mindset leads to a more optimistic outlook on failures, which further leads to perseverance and the ability to take on new challenges without giving up. Using additional research, I agree with Duckworth’s claim that a growth mindset makes an individual more successful because a growth mindset transforms obstacles into learning opportunities and fosters hope, which are essential skills to overcoming failures and becoming successful.

Geoff Colvin, the author of What It Takes to Be Great, once stated “Greatness isn’t handed to anyone; it requires a lot of hard work.” This statement is undeniable because it is proven multiple times in the story, “The Smallest Dragonboy” by Anne McCaffrey, the Duracell advertisement with Derrick Coleman, and the article, “What It Takes to Be Great,” by Colvin himself. Deliberate practice will greatly improve their adroitness on one’s field of profession and perseverance will play a great role on achieving one’s goals. Talent is insignificant compared to determination and meticulous practice. Colvin’s claim on how success is only achieved with perseverance and certitude is indubitable.

Along with NHS, being actively involved in varsity sports throughout high school has made me gain a “work hard” attitude. This attitude of constantly working above and beyond will carry over to my future education and career to help me succeed. As a two-year captain of both volleyball and cheerleading, I have learned to be a team leader while also being a team player. High school sports have instilled lifelong lessons in me such as working hard, being responsible, and being a leader, that I know will aid me in by success in academics and a

Success is a very sought after aspect in our society. Everyone strives for the nicest car, the largest home, or the most exciting job. However, Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers, discusses how the path to success is not simple and it has a lot of factors that play into it. Being on a sports team throughout school or being a “student-athlete” may be one of them. Student athletes learn concepts like teamwork, hard work, and persistence—all of which are critical parts of the average adult career. The sports that these children and teens participate in fuel their competitive drive that can only help them in the workplace.

For example, Angela Lee Duckworth from the University of Pennsylvania, who had been conducting innovative studies (for the past 11 years) on "Grit," the quality that allows people to work uncompromisingly and stick to their passions and long-term goals. We learn that in her interview with "Educational Leadership," [ Duckworth describes what her research has shown about the relationship between "Grit" and achievement. on the importance of helping students develop grit and other non-cognitive traits.(1)] I believe that when we incorporate teaching students how to develop traits like having “grit” in our public schools, eventually our citizens as a whole will become more prosperous in all areas of life.

Athletics has played an instrumental role promoting success in all branches of life impacting my performance in school, work and other life facets. Involvement in athletics taught me the value of commitment allowing me to play in Division 1 Women’s Soccer while attending the University of Washington. As a former student athlete, I have been winning and losing my entire life developing my own resilience and tremendous work ethic to work with others toward a common goal. My drive spills over into my professional interactions and career aspirations allowing me to connect

Angela Duckworth in the book Grit, makes the claim that in order to have grit, you must have passion for what you care about. She explains that having passion for something means each day you will wake up thinking of the same questions you fell asleep thinking about. She also states that in achieving success, having aligned, unified, and ultimate goal. She uses an example of the Hall of Fame baseball player Tom Seaver. He had an overall goal to be the best pitcher of all time and the other aspects of his life were dedicated to that goal. “Pitching determines when I eat, when I go to bed, and what I do when i'm awake.” (63). Tom has baseball as his passion and he is obsessed for it. He is willing to give up other things in his life for the overall

The main focus of Geoff Colvin’s, “What It Takes to Be Great”, published October 30, 2006, by Fortune, is on the importance that talent is to success. Researches were curious on,”how people were able to go on improving”, or how much is talent needed for success. They studied the best of the best in a variety of fields, such as: Michael Jordan, Winston Churchill, Vladimir Horowitz, Tiger Woods, and many more. Most people believe that talent makes someone great, but Colvin concludes, that people aren’t great through talent, but through deliberate practice. Deliberate practice involves a healthy mindset, consistency, obsessive practice, and discipline. Colvin shares,”The critical reality is that we are not hostage to some naturally given level

“Challenges are what makes life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” Some people have to overcome challenges to have a meaning in life and not just give up. This is exemplified in, “The Contender,” by Derek Burnett, “Life in the Red,” by Benedict Carey, and “ Paralympic Star makes history on NBA stage,” by E Lancaster. After reading and annotating the articles about a determined Kyle Maynard, motivational Blake Leeper, and a resourceful Lakeisha Tuggle one could make the choice be successful in life and give up. But to do these things, you have to have a good attitude and “cut out” things that aren't a necessity.

The coach tirelessly pursues personal education, formally and informally, both in the performance related sciences and in liberal arts. He sees the journey to coaching excellence as a never ending story; seen not only in terms of a chosen sport and coaching theory and practice, but in understanding how to successfully live a balanced and full life, while facing tougher and tougher challenges in the chosen field of endeavour.

What makes champions in sport? At the end of the day, it is the moment when one stands at the top of the podium, holding up their well-deserved medals and trophies that all elite athletes strive for. Thus, experts have studied this question extensively to see which programs, or by what means, are elite athletes developed to achieve this goal. One of the many aspects to athlete development is the controversial topic of deliberate practice versus deliberate play. Deliberate practice can be defined as “any training activity (a) undertaken with the specific purpose of increasing performance, (b) requiring cognitive and/or physical effort, and (c) relevant to promoting positive skill development” (Cote et al., 2007, p. 185) On the