Mitchell R. Low
Professor Allison Herman
ENGL 110-04
9 October 2014
To Fail is to Succeed
Chloe, a former US Army officer and graduate of the Georgia Military College, reminisced with me when she was going through officer training. She informed me of a general census that is perpetuated within the army; women don’t belong in the military. Chloe’s instructors would specifically target her and other female cadets. She received tremendous amounts of hazing from some of her so called male teammates. She was kicked in the face and spat on but despite all the challenges Chloe overcame them and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Chloe’s story made me really wonder what keeps people motivated throughout life and why some people give up on their dreams. How do we know when we should throw in the towel? Why do we decide to just stop pursuing our goals? I found myself lost in thought reflecting upon my own life and goals; How do you overcome past failures? I have always had a fear of failure that has held me back from reaching my potential; however, after facing many life challenges I have established a philosophy that I can only get what I want out of life by taking a chance, win or lose.
In “Showing Up”, Angela Duckworth argues that the reason why people abandon their dreams and continue to fail is because they lack grit; the steadfast resolve and determination to accomplish one’s goals. Duckworth believes that it is through the grit attribute, not talent or natural ability,
I was once the big fish in a small pond, but now I find myself as a worm on a hook in an ocean of big fish. Starting this journey, I can say that I was overcome with all types of emotions all at once: anxiety, fear, excitement, inadequateness, and at the end of it all I was finally calm. Knowing that I had just accomplished something that not even six months ago wasn’t even in my life plans. As a platoon, we performed feats that as individuals or a group you would never attempt let alone think about have accomplished. The slogans during that time of my career were “be all you can be in the Army” or “we do more before 9 am than most people do all day.” Within my first four years I got to travel the world and see places that most people would only dream about from Antarctica to Panama, and even to the pyramids in Egypt, I got to see it all. The military had such a powerful and profound hold on me I couldn’t think of anywhere else I would rather be. I was once told by my 1SG after a very long and trying day he said “Private Williams, where else can grown men and women have this much fun and still get paid. “I thought and pondered on what he had said, and even today 26 years later I still ask myself the same question, and it always goes back to the same answer, wearing the uniform serving my country side by side with my brothers and sisters in
Duckworth explains people with grit are those who confront failure and don’t give up easily. She did research on the U.S Army to determine their grit. She realize, if the soldiers had a though of mind of grit they showed good results in their military performance on summer camp. Also, there was a fascinating research she had with taxi drivers relating to grit. Commonly, one would think that taxi drivers make more money in a rainy day. But what she found out was that taxi drivers work less hours in rainy days because they would make the sufficient money they needed for the day. In similarity, she compare this research to talent and grit. One with talent will spent less time on something so they stop immediately once they have proficient. In the other hand, someone with grit will spend longer time and get more out of it.
Grit, what is this? Is it success, is it failure, or is it talent? As Angela Duckworth said “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day-in and day-out. Not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years. And working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Grit is a combination of strength, persistence, focus, and dedication that helps a person to maintain the optimism and discipline needed to persevere in their goals even if they are head to head with failure. Grit does not depend on talent, IQ, or success. Grit is the ability to fail and learn from your mistake, in order to come back next
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.
In one of the most watched Ted talk videos, “The Key To Success- Grit,” recorded in May 9 2013, the speaker Angela Lee Duckworth explains how the strongest performers in their fields were typically not the ones with the highest IQ’s, but the ones with the most amount of Grit. What is that? Angela defines Grit to be the passion and perseverance for a long-term goal and to go through with it with no quitting. She then goes on and talks about the studies and their results relating to pure Grit being the answer. Although her her speech is moving and brings hope to those who don’t think they can do much with a low IQ, her reasoning seems to not carry enough evidence.
As the bus entered the heavily guarded military instillation, I gazed upon the sign that read, "Be All that You Can Be." When the bus stopped, several angry Drill Instructors boarded and began introducing us to a very colorful vocabulary, usually reserved for drunken Sailors. They instructed us to gather our belongings, get off the bus and assemble in a circular formation. As I searched for the strength to get up, I found myself moving, while several Drill Instructors yelled at us for our clumsy attempt to dismount the bus and fall into formation. I wondered if I had made the right choice. However, I have come to realize that my military experiences have tremendously enhanced my self-worth. From those first eight
Duckworth’s theory of grit relies heavily on the concept of support, however, some of this support is “autonomy support,” (Scelfo, New York Times) which seems to have been the primary system in Jeannette’s upbringing. For Jeannette, however, “autonomy support” is little more than a euphemism for neglect. As Duckworth also stresses the importance of parents being “very, very supportive” (Scelfo, New York Times) emotionally, it is clear that parts of the Walls’ parenting style were not ideal for developing grit. Thus, one is left asking where did Jeannette’s unwavering motivation come from? I contend that the answer to this is, in fact, Jeannette’s parents, however, the negative and neglective aspects of the parenting style drove Jeannette to an imperfect brand of
One of my favorite saying in the Army is "failure is not an option." I was born in Haiti and moved to the United States at the age of seven. I joined the military in 2009 and eight years later here I am. Though I'm not where I want to be, I am not where I used to be. I got married at the age of 20. It was devastating when my husband and I got divorced after five years of marriage. I am currently raising my two kids, going to school and working full time. My strength of not giving up has me believe that in life you should not allow the cannot to be your final destination. So far in this class, I have learned my work preference is being open-minded. Determination, perseverance, and drive as my personal trait play a role in my work preference. Let's not forget about my attributes of persistence. It embodies who Vanessa Banks
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.
This Paragraph is going to be about giving effort to Learning and Success.In Angela Duckworth Ted Talk,Angela Duckworth talks about grit and grit means passion and perseverance for very long term goals and grit can give you effort for trying to Succeed your long term goals.Angela Duckworth also talks about succceding in the Ted Talk and she says that “Succeding your long term goal can help you give more effort of what you do or what you wanna do”.Angela Duckworth states,“You can gain a lot from a consistent effort that you
Have you ever set a long-term goal and were so determined to meet that goal no matter what happened? Angela Duckworth states, “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in and day out. Not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years and working really hard to make that future a reality”. Sticking with a long-term goal, when you seem to have hit every bump in the road possible means that you contain grit. In class, we discussed how talent is inversely related to grit. Angela Duckworth did a study and made high school students take her grit test. In this test, she realized that the more grit that the student possessed, the higher chance that student would graduate.
Throughout our nation’s history, women have played an important role in the military. It has not been until recently however, that women have been able to fully
Growing up, children are often told the common phrase, “If at first, you don't succeed try, try, again…” (W.C. Fields). This is used to teach children to never give up, a way to ensure that they can triumph over adversity and grow upon their grit. Although, people usually forget the second part of that quote, “…Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.” (W.C. Fields). The second half of the quote is a full contrast to the first half, this is telling children to give up and just stop trying. Those who give up are often thought of having no grit. Some wonder if grit is necessary for society, to be more specific if grit is something that should be taught in school, I feel that it should not. Students switch interests so often that it is hard for them to stick with the same interests as time passes. When a student is enthused about a subject, I see grit as a way for one to express their interests. When one’s passion is put to the test and it feels like there is no progress or no more enjoyment left in that passion is when true grit is shown. Those who support the idea of grit, like Angela Duckworth, believe that grit is a big factor in how one succeeds.
Angela Duckworth was a seventh-grade teacher in New York Public Schools, and became a psychologist. She is the author of the TED Talk “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance”. The main point of this TED Talk is that having grit is what will help you to succeed in life. She asks herself, who is successful and why, and she concluded that people who succeed in life are those who have grit, which is the passion and perseverance to achieve every long-term goal. She emphasized that talent or social intelligent is not what will lead you to succeed, but the key that will help you to succeed are passion and perseverance. Those who can stick with their future goals for years and work hard to make that future a reality is more likely to succeed. Moreover, she explained in her speech that growth mindset is great for building grit, which based on the TED Talk people who have a growth mindset are those people that do not believe that failure is a permanent condition. In my point of view those people who have growth mindset are more likely to be successful in life.