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Personal Grit Research Paper

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According to Google.com, grit is the courage and resolve of a character or person. Angela Lee Duckworth, a psychologist, teacher, and public speaker understands this when she spoke at the Ted Talk Conference. During her speech she said this, "...One characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success. It wasn't social intelligence, it wasn't good looks, physical health, and it wasn't IQ: It was grit. Grit is passion and perseverance for very long term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in and day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years; and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint." I believe that this quote …show more content…

During a cross country race, you cannot just expect to sprint ahead in the beginning, then walk the rest of the way, and still win. A cross country race is a two mile race of just straight sprinting. Determination is key in a cross country race. If a runner doesn’t give his all in a race he will almost always lose to a person that gives his all. I as a cross country runner understand how grit is needed to succeed. At the end of a race, when my legs are tired and I feel like I can’t make it to the end, that is when I need grit the most. When there is a runner right next to me that wants to take the win just as much as me that is when I need grit the most. To me, grit means that you have the determination to be tough and make your way through things without giving up. In the example I had before with my cross country races, I showed grit by finishing the race even after I felt tired and was on the verge of giving up. Not only that, when another run would catch up to me at the end of the race, I would run faster because I had that determination to win. Also, I have seen examples of grit between a talented and much less talented runner where the less talented runner beat the more talented runner because he had the determination to win whereas the talented runner gave up at the end. Therefore, this grit affects my everyday life in an important way and allows me to …show more content…

Eminem has persevered through hardship and challenges throughout his life. As a child, Eminem had a tough time. Eminem’s father left him and his mom when Eminem was a baby. Also, his father rejected all of his son’s attempts to contact him. Next, his mother was a drug addict who had trouble providing for his family. Because of this, him and his mom moved frequently between Missouri and Detroit and spent large chunks of time in public housing. Furthermore, Eminem was bullied in school. He describes in many of his songs that he was beat up in the bathroom, beat up in the hallways, and he was shoved into lockers. In high school, he failed the ninth grade three times. Talk about grit and determination to complete the grade. As an adult, he had trouble starting a career because back in the 90’s there was only black rappers and he is white. Also, during the start of his career, he had trouble providing for his family so he took minimum wage jobs to make money. At one point during this time, he worked 60 hours a week as a cook while still trying to make a career for himself. These are all examples of Eminem’s grit and his determination to reach his goals. During his childhood, he showed grit throughout his school career because he moved so often and had no support at home, but he still ended up getting through. In addition, he had to repeat the 9th grade

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