Words from Web Worker

How willpower is often misunderstood, and what we each can do to improve it? It’s the third week in Jan. and at about this time, that resolution that seemed so reasonable a week ago — go to the gym every other day, read a book a week — is starting to seem very hard. As you are teetering on the edge of abandoning it all together Kelly McGonigal wants you to know that you’re not having a hard time sticking to a resolution because you are a terrible person. Perhaps you’ve just formulated the wrong resolution. People come up with resolutions that don’t reflect what matters most to them, and that makes them almost guaranteed to fail. Willpower is the ability to do what matters most, even when it’s difficult or when some part of you doesn’t want to. That begins to capture why it’s so difficult — because everything we think of as requiring willpower is usually a competition between two conflicting selves. There’s a part of you who is looking to the long-term and thinking about certain...

The Difference Between High Achievers and the Unsuccessful Is Grit More than talent or sheer luck, "Grit" is the one quality that sets high achievers apart from everyone else. Grit is the disposition to pursue very long-term goals with passion and perseverance, sustained over time. So the emphasis is on stamina. Grit, is consistently "showing up" and persevering despite the obstacles. To increase your grittiness, there are three main qualities or drivers to cultivate: Optimism and a growth mindset (versus believing you can't really change much)—so you can overcome setbacks Working on things that you really value and are passionate about Not putting a high value on the costs of working very hard: "Really gritty people are not constantly worried about what they could be doing instead."