The grit equation
What is the secret sauce to success? It’s a formula that every parent and educator hopes to crack, and something I’ve found myself reflecting on as the nonprofit school I run, Mano Amiga Philippines, celebrated its 18th anniversary last month.
When we first established Mano Amiga in 2008, our hope was to give children from disadvantaged backgrounds access to the same quality of education offered by the best private schools in the country. Because many of our scholars grow up facing circumstances beyond their control, we knew that academic competence alone would not be enough. We had to instill in them the confidence to go after their dreams and the emotional resilience to push forward even if they find themselves confronted with several setbacks.
Psychologist Angela Duckworth describes this quality as grit, which she originally defined through two components: passion and perseverance. Passion, or consistency of interests, refers to the ability of a person to maintain a sustained interest in long-term aspirations rather than constantly abandoning them for new pursuits. Perseverance of effort, on the other hand, refers to a person’s ability to continue to work toward something despite failures and frustrations.
Psychologist Jesus Datu later added a third dimension: adaptability. This means we are able to adjust our actions, strategies, and even goals in response to changing circumstances. What I like about the expanded definition is that grit is not necessarily being attached to a singular path or outcome. It also involves having the flexibility to know when to give up and change course.
I’ve come to appreciate this even more from listening to our alumni talk about how they’re navigating life after Mano Amiga. While 94 percent of our graduates went straight to university, some decided to work for two years to save enough money before enrolling in their chosen schools. Their journeys have not always been linear, and things haven’t always gone according to plan. What impressed me was their willingness to find different ways of reaching the same goal. As Benz, one of my former students, framed it, he just had to take the longer way to his dreams.
How, then, can we help more children develop grit, especially those who face greater obstacles in life?
Recent literature offers three important insights. First, having a sense of purpose makes it easier to persevere. When we can clearly envision and find meaning in what we’re working toward, it becomes easier to push through setbacks. We’re more likely to stay committed to a goal we genuinely care about than to something we’re simply expected to achieve.
Second, self-regulation plays an important role in developing grit. People persevere better when they can effectively manage their thoughts and behavior while pursuing difficult goals. This includes keeping emotions in check when frustrated, thinking about long-term consequences, and training the mind to celebrate incremental progress rather than focusing too much on the challenges that still lie ahead.
Lastly, grit is often discussed as an individual trait. However, research has consistently found that a person’s social environment can significantly influence the level of grit they develop. For instance, excessive parental control is associated with lower levels of grit because children have fewer opportunities to make their own choices, to discover their own passions, and to learn from failure. In contrast, parents who provide warmth and guidance while encouraging choice and independent problem-solving tend to raise children with higher levels of grit and emotional well-being.
What is even more interesting is that being surrounded by peers who demonstrate grit can help nurture perseverance in others. In fact, one study found that the collective grit of a classroom has a stronger impact on a student’s future literacy achievement than the student’s own individual grit. For educators, this is a powerful reminder that grit is something we can nurture by creating supportive, collaborative environments where children are encouraged to persevere, learn from mistakes and feedback, and help one another succeed.
While grit can help individuals navigate difficult circumstances, it should never become an excuse to place the responsibility for overcoming systemic barriers entirely on their shoulders. We often celebrate stories of people who have beaten the odds through sheer determination and hard work, but how often do we question why the odds were stacked so heavily against them in the first place?
Eighteen years into our journey at Mano Amiga, I have come to realize that success cannot be reduced to a single quality. Grit matters, but we cannot expect it to compensate for every disadvantage a child faces. As educators, we need to understand the circumstances they come from, recognize the barriers they face, and provide the support they need to overcome them. And as members of a larger community, we all have a responsibility to create better, more equitable conditions where a child’s opportunities aren’t determined by the circumstances of their birth, and where their hard work and perseverance have a fair chance of paying off.
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