When I am around people," Kat wrote, "my heart and soul radiate with the awareness that I am in the presence of greatness. Maybe greatness unfound, o… - Angela Duckworth

You can't simply will yourself to like things, either. As Jeff Bezos has observed, 'One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves.

But if, instead, you define genius as working toward excellence, ceaselessly, with every element of your being — then, in fact, my dad is a genius, and so am I, and so is Coates, and, if you're willing, so are you.

These stories of grit are one kind of data, and they complement the more systematic, quantitative studies I've done in places like West Point and the National Spelling Bee. Together, the research reveals the psychological assets that mature paragons of grit have in common. There are four. They counter each of the buzz-killers listed above, and they tend to develop, over the years,