Character, Resilience and Grit!

In this bitter weather facing a landscape of serious financial problems, more and more reports of international unrest, local authority services increasingly under pressure, schools facing increasing challenge and academisation, OFSTED changing the rules and turning up unannounced and plenty of personal challenges, we all need to develop character, resilience and grit.

Grit is a positive trait that involves perseverance of effort to accomplish a long term goal no matter what challenges lie in the way. Research by Angela Duckworth, working with Martin Seligman and referred to in Seligman's book 'Flourish' defines grit as perseverance and passion for long-term goals and found that as a trait, people who had grit were more likely to be successful than those with high IQ or those who were simply conscientious. We need to help our children and young people develop grit and to help them understand that passion, persistence and hard work towards a goal is the most reliable route to success in life!

A person with true grit has: 

• values and beliefs; 
• clear goals; 
• determination;
• self-confidence;
• humility; 
• passion;
• persistence;
• patience; 
• flexibility; and 
• self-belief.

Why don't you take “The Grit Survey” which you can find on the Authentic Happiness website at authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx.
Chris