Getting Grit: The Evidence-Based Approach to Cultivating Passion, Perseverance, and Purpose

by Caroline Miller

Overview

One of the Top 10 Books That Will Change Your Life in 2017 - Live Happy Magazine

Grow Your Grit—How You Can Develop the Critical Ingredient for Success

 

Grit—defined as our perseverance and passion for long-term goals—is now recognized as one of the key determinants for achievement and life satisfaction. In an age that provides us with a never-ending stream of distractions and quick-and-easy solutions, how do we build this essential quality? “This book is designed to help you screen out the spam of life and cultivate authentic grit in every setting,” writes Caroline Miller.

 

With Getting Grit, this bestselling author brings you an information-rich and practical guide for developing the qualities needed to persevere over obstacles—not just toughness and passion, but also humility, patience, and kindness. Join her as she shares research-based insights and practices on:

 

• Learning grit—how you can enhance your willpower and rewire your brain for resilience

• The key traits of gritty people—what the latest research reveals

• The three kinds of “false grit” and how to recognize them in yourself

• The courage to fail—tools for turning your setbacks into your greatest teachers

• Daring to dream big—guidance for building your capacity to take risks and aim higher

• No one succeeds alone—tips for gathering your support team and inspiring others

• The role of self-compassion, gratitude, and spirituality in building grit

 

“I’ve come to believe that gritty behavior is a positive force that does more than help us rise to our own challenges,” writes Caroline Miller. “When we embody the best qualities of grit, we become a role model for others who want to become better people, and help them awaken greater possibilities for themselves.” Whether you’re seeking to grow beyond your limits at work, at home, on the sporting field, or in any leadership role, Getting Grit is a powerful resource to help you bring out the qualities that will help you succeed and thrive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781622039203
Publisher:	Sounds True
Publication date:	06/01/2017
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Caroline Adams Miller, MAPP, is a Positive Psychology expert, executive coach, and bestselling author whose works include My Name is Caroline (Doubleday, 1988) and Creating Your Best Life (Sterling, 2009). She is a regular contributor to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and CNN, and gave a TEDx Talk on grit. For more, visit carolinemiller.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part 1

Chapter 1 Can You Spell G-R-I-T? 9

Chapter 2 When Grit Is Gone: Wood Chips, Comfort Pigs, and Cuddlers 27

Chapter 3 How Do You Start Getting More Grit? 45

Chapter 4 Authentic Grit: What Is It? 57

Chapter 5 Good Grit: Mt. Rushmore, Mt. Olympus, Celebrity, and Ordinary 69

Chapter 6 Bad Grit: Faux, Stubborn, and Selfie 77

Part 2

Chapter 7 Baking the Grit Cake 91

Chapter 8 Building Passion to Fuel Purpose 95

Chapter 9 Happiness 107

Chapter 10 Goal Setting 119

Chapter 11 Self-Regulation 135

Chapter 12 Risk-Taking 147

Chapter 13 Humility 155

Chapter 14 Perseverance 167

Chapter 15 Patience 185

Chapter 16 Grit in the Future 199

Acknowledgments 203

Notes 207

About the Author 223

Editorial Reviews

Ever meet someone who is that magical combination of wise yet humble, strong yet sensitive, inspiring yet down to earth? That’s Caroline Miller. I know nobody who’s thought more about how to apply the scientific research on grit and achievement to our own lives!” —Angela Duckworth, founder and Scientific Director, Character Lab; Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania

“Getting Grit is a remarkable collection of research and ideas for more achievement and well-being, starting today. An amazing work that captures the most practical ideas from positive psychology and beyond! The ultimate guide to living life with grit and without regret.” —Tom Rath, author of StrengthsFinder 2.0 and Are You Fully Charged?

“It’s one thing to value grit—it’s another to develop it. Caroline Miller has made that her life’s work, and in this book she shares a series of useful steps for increasing your persistence for the right reasons in the right ways.” —Adam Grant, author of Originals and Give and Take

“The minute I picked up Getting Grit, I feverishly began taking notes. Caroline Miller understands the essential truth that all women who want to be truly confident and who want to succeed need grit. It’s a critical building block for both accomplishment and satisfaction. And Miller is the consummate grit coach—she motivates flawlessly with a blend of science and stories, humor, and challenge. Her recipe is the definitive guide to getting grit back into our lives.” —Claire Shipman, coauthor of The Confidence Code

“Caroline Miller has captured the latest research on behavior change and personality strengths to come up with new, practical ways to add grit to your personal and professional life. This is a really innovative book. Companies, sports teams, schools, families, and communities will all benefit from the stories and research.” —Scott Barry Kaufman, Scientific Director, The Imagination Institute

“Caroline Miller articulates the science and importance of character strengths as important pathways to help cultivate grit in this groundbreaking book. Readers will benefit greatly from her extensive experience coaching people towards pursuing and achieving meaningful success with personal goals.” —Neal H. Mayerson, PhD, founder and Chairman, VIA Institute on Character

“In this book, Caroline Adams Miller, a paragon of grit herself, makes getting grit real, actionable, and achievable. A brilliant read for anyone interested in achieving their goals and using their good grit and authentic grit to help others thrive.” —Professor Lea Waters, PhD, President Elect, International Positive Psychology Association; Gerry Higgins Chair in Positive Psychology, University of Melbourne

From the Publisher