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What is grit? Why is it good for us? And how can we get more of it?

, an associate professor of at the University of Pennsylvania and a , addressed those questions and explained the science behind her gospel of grit in an October 8 lecture at .

The and cosponsored the lecture in the .

Grit, said Dr. Duckworth, is stamina or determination, and her studies of high achievers prove that it鈥檚 a common denominator among those who make it to the top.

How can we get grittier? Dr. Duckworth offered these tips.

1.听听 听Race your strengths. 鈥淵ou have to do things in life that you鈥檙e just good at and you鈥檙e interested in,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut then, once you鈥檝e decided, 鈥業鈥檓 going to be a 100-meter sprinter,鈥� you really need to set stretch goals and work on your relative weaknesses.鈥�

2.听听 听Focus on what you鈥檙e doing, not on what you鈥檙e not doing. Those who consistently think about where they could be or what they could be doing tend to be less gritty and less successful.

3.听听 听Adopt a growth mindset. This outlook (also studied and promoted by ) is, in Dr. Duckworth鈥檚 words, 鈥渄eep down believing that people can change.鈥� It鈥檚 the opposite of a fixed mindset.

4.听听 听Be an optimist. An optimist views personal mistakes and setbacks as temporary and fixable. A pessimist sees them as reflections of deep, immutable flaws. 鈥淲e find that the more optimistic teachers are better and as a consequence they鈥檙e happier and both grit and happiness predict the effectiveness of that teacher one year later,鈥� Dr. Duckworth said.

5.听听 听Find a coach, mentor or partner who doesn鈥檛 let you quit. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about being gritty,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about people being gritty for you.鈥�