A letter from Apr 18th, 2021

Dear FutureMe, Here are a few things that I want you to remember from Grit Lab with Dr. Duckworth: Grit is sustained passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Grit influences our effort, whereas talent is the rate at which you improve with effort. Although talent counts, effort counts twice. Remember, effort * talent = skill and effort * skill = achievement. Interests are the activities and subjects that spontaneously generate curiosity and the desire to learn more. We can learn more when we are interested and it is easier to be gritty when it relates to our interests. Interest can grow with experience. Values are our beliefs about what ought to be. When our interests align with our values, then it is more likely that the interest will develop into a feeling of purpose. Finding purpose is a lifelong journey, and the feeling of purpose is positively correlated with grit. A goal is a desired future state, and goals exist in a hierarchy where some are more important than others. Being aware of our own goal hierarchies can put our priorities in order. When we have clearly aligned goal hierarchies we can achieve aerodynamic harmony. Goals are not free-floating desires. Goals galvanize our commitment by energizing us and directing our attention. Factors of effective goals are 1) challenging 2) specific 3) declared publicly 4) made with a group 5) proximal not distal (sub-goals). WOOP (wish, outcome, obstacle, plan) is a powerful tool to help us achieve our goals. Deliberate practice requires 1) finding well-defined, specific goals 2) focusing with full concentration on attaining the goal of the current practice 3) receiving feedback (as soon as possible) to allow for reflection, problem-solving, and refinement 4) REPEAT. Feedback enables you to compare actual with ideal performance and allows you to improve future performance. Giving optimal feedback 1) is immediate 2) critiques the process, not the person 3) is future-oriented 4) is specific 5) is tailored to the level of experience of the individual (experts can handle more negative feedback) 6) is framed with a growth mindset-- "I am giving you this feedback because I have high expectations for you, and I know you can reach them." Steps for receiving optimal feedback 1) ask a specific question 2) embrace the discomfort 3) Listen with the intent to understand 4) reward candor Coping with failure depends on how you appraise that failure-- is your goal to succeed in that instant or to learn and grow? You can appraise your stress response as potentially enhancing, by embracing a stress mindset, and use that stress to help you grow. Role models show us what is possible, make us believe we can do it, and affirm that it is desirable. Mentors are role models that take an active role in our development. The best mentors use an authoritative style; they are both demanding and supportive. Habits are behaviors we do automatically in response to cues because they have been repeatedly rewarded in the past. There is no magic number for the number of repetitions needed to form a habit. Habits allow you to be more productive with less power. When trying to form a new habit, don't ask yourself to just try harder; change your situation, attention, or appraisal. Self-transcendence is a top-level goal that serves beyond-the-self purpose. Giving advice to others boosts your own confidence and builds your own wisdom. Become a sustainable giver and team player, not a taker. Lastly, here are some quotes that were given to us by Dr. Duckworth or came from our amazing grit guests: "Your personality dimensions matter more than your GPA" -Neil De Grasse Tyson "I am a student of life; I am always learning." - Doug Baldwin "Whenever I am asked how to get started on something my response is always 'just start, you can iterate after launch'" - Rolanda Evelyn "Life is random, but we can choose to buy more lottery tickets." - Angela Duckworth "When the summer is far away, put the summit out of your mind and ask yourself, 'what can I do today?'." - Colin O'Brady "My central thesis is that experts continually engage in deliberate practice." - Anders Ericsson "When you practice, you have to do so with purpose." - Lindsey Vonn "When you get feedback about how you are perceived by others, you always have to listen." "It is hard to increase your IQ, but it is easy to increase your persistence." - Jim Yong Kim "While I couldn't control my circumstance, I could control how I responded to that circumstance." "I didn't grow from [my stressors], I grew from how I responded to those stressors." "Adversity can buy you a ticket to a place that you couldn't have gotten to any other way." - Austin Hatch "One of the greatest gifts we can give to people is seeing what they can be one day... [As a mentor] I try to encourage people to see what they can be." - Chaz Howard "People at the top of their fields lean more on others-- not less." - Angela Duckworth "If your child makes a mistake, no problem, let them try again." - Esther Wojcicki "Every no is a chance to say yes when it matters more" - A*** Grant " You must act as if it is impossible to fail." " Dare to dream a dream that is big enough for others." " If you ever think you are too small to make a difference, try spending a night in a room with a mosquito." - Elizabeth Nyamayaro