Top 10 lesson from book- GRIT

1. Grit > Talent

Grit Talent Agency

The first lesson I learned in the book is that grit matters more than talent. Many people believe that talent is what leads to success, but that is not true and it underestimates the value of hard work and effort.

In fact, Angela Duckworth mentioned that effort counts twice in achieving our goals, while talent only counts once.

Talent x Effort = Skill

Skill x Effort = Achievment

Sure, talent may account for a small part of your success, but the effort you put into achieving your goals is the main factor.

One could have a great talent at doing a specific task/action, but without putting effort into it, that talent is of no use.

The more you rely on effort and hard work, the more your skills will improve.

2. Doing hard tasks will help you improve

Nowadays, life has become easy. We can just click a button and have food delivered to our homes. We can just pay some money and have someone mow our lawn for us.

While this type of lifestyle is relaxing and puts less stress on us, it also makes us used to not having to do hard work. It makes us less comfortable with having to put extra time and effort into getting something done.

That’s why it is important to do hard things and keep pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone. Doing this will help us be more disciplined to achieve our goals and be able to become the person in life we aspire to be.

Everyone has to do a hard thing (something that requires deliberate practice)

You can quit, but not at any time

You get to pick your hard thing

Try following this rule as well and see how well it works for you!

Remember, you have to keep pushing yourself to become the best version of yourself.

3. Embrace a growth mindset

Embrace a growth mindset

A growth mindset is extremely important for not only building grit, but also for achieving success.

According to Angela Duckworth, a growth mindset leads to optimistic self-talk, which then leads to perseverance over adversity. It helps you seek out new challenges “that will ultimately make you even stronger.”

With a growth mindset, you know you can and are willing to improve yourself to become the best version of yourself.

So, if you want to adopt a growth mindset, start believing in yourself and also start viewing your challenges as opportunities!

4. Surround yourself with gritty people

One way to increase your grit level and become more gritty is to surround yourself with gritty people and join a gritty culture.

In my other blogs, I mention surrounding yourself with people you want to be like and this relates perfectly.

Doing this will help you be inspired and motivated to act like them.

The culture you live in shapes several aspects of yourself, so if you want it to positively affect you, make sure that your culture is full of people you want to be like, not the opposite.

One example is joining a swim team, which requires you to wake up early and swim multiple laps. One probably wouldn’t do that all by him/herself, but with other people doing the same, it provides motivation.

5. Discover your interests

Discover your interests

As teenagers, we may not know exactly what we’re interested in and what we want to do in the future. And, that is totally okay. In fact, Angela Duckworth totally understands this and gives advice as to how we can discover our interests. She recommends asking ourselves these questions:

What do I like to think about?

Where does my mind wander?

What do I really care about?

What matters most to me?

How do I enjoy spending my time?

What do I find absolutel unbearable?

To discover your interests, keep exploring and experiment with new things and see what piques your fascination!

6. Know your purpose

Know your purpose

A lot of view our purpose in life as something that benefits only ourselves, not others. In fact, I used to think that until I read Angela Duckworth’s point of view on purpose.

She defines purpose as “the intention to contribute to the well-being of others.”

Your purpose is the deeper meaning behind your goals and aims. Once you find meaning in your work, you will be more driven to accomplish all your goals.

This book taught me that purpose is knowing that what I do matters to more than just myself.

To find your purpose, ask yourself, “How can I contribute to the well-being of others?”

7. Learn how to fail

Learn how to fail

A lot of people believe that failures are a sign of weakness, something negative. That’s what I used to think, too. However, I learned that failing is part of the journey of success.

There’s no way we can prevent failure in life – it’s going to happen at one point or another.

Failures are what train us for success. By failing, we learn about the mistakes we made and make sure to not repeat them again. So, in a way, there are like stepping stones to success.

Instead of regretting our failures, we should accept them, learn from them, and move on with our lives.

8. Routines are important

Routines are important

I didn’t expect Angela Duckworth to describe routines in her book about grit, but I thought wrong. She mentions how routines are important to boost productivity Because sometimes we may feel like procrastinating and not want to work on something, having routines makes it easier to get started. When you have a designated place in your home solely for working and you work at the same time, you will be able to get started without even thinking about it.

Grit involves putting in a lot of effort and hard work, and routines play a big part in helping us get started with all that work and not procrastinate.

So, if you want to increase your grit, be sure to implement a consistent routine into your daily life!

9. Be positive

Be positive

Being positive is not only great for feeling happy more often, but also for cultivating grit.

Being positive improves your performance for the future and helps you accomplish your goals without worrying about the setback.

By being optimistic, you are willing to learn from your mistakes, grow from your failures, and continue working towards being your best self.

With an optimistic attitude, nothing can hold you back, no matter how many challenges or setbacks you face.

Having optimism is definitely going to increase your grit, so try looking on the bright side more often!

10. Aim to improve yourself every day

Aim to improve yourself every day

Last but not least, I learned that it is important to have a goal to improve yourself every day.

People with grit always want to improve, no matter how good they are already.

Whatever their goal or purpose is, they aspire to get better at it each and every day.

Every day, there are opportunities to better ourselves and grow ourselves – we just have to be on the lookout for them.

It’s you against you, not you against anyone else.

Top 10 lesson learned from book-Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

1. Adopt a Growth Mindset and Focus on Learning Over Achievement.

When you focus on a growth mindset, you embrace all the things that have felt threatening: challenge, struggle, criticism, and setbacks.

When you embrace the tough stuff, you open yourself up to fully realize your potential and all that you can be. Instead of depending on luck or “natural” talent, you focus on developing your skills and abilities, and learning from your efforts.

2. You Can Change Your Mindset.

The good news is that even if you currently have a fixed mindset, it’s not a fixed thing.

“Mindsets are an important part of your personality, but you can change them. Just by knowing about the two mindsets, you can start thinking and reacting in new ways. People tell me that they start to catch themselves when they are in the throes of the fixed mindset — passing up a chance for learning, feeling labeled by a failure, or getting discouraged when something requires a lot of effort. And then they switch themselves into the growth mindset — making sure they take the challenge, learn from the failure, or continue their effort. “

3. You Can Put Yourself into a Growth Mindset

You can try a growth mindset on for size, even if it’s just temporary. You can even do it on the spot.

“It’s also important to realize that even if people have a fixed mindset, they’re not always in that mindset. In fact, in many of our studies, we put people into a growth mindset. We tell them that an ability can be learned and that the task will give them a chance to do that. Or we have them read a scientific article that teaches them the growth mindset. The article describes people who did not have natural ability, but who developed exceptional skills. These experiences make our research participants into growth-minded thinkers, at least for the moment — and they act like growth-minded thinkers, too.”

4. The Growth Mindset Allows You to Love What You’re Doing

With a fixed mindset, you love the score. With the growth mindset, you love the process and the growth.

“The growth mindset does allow people to love what they’re doing — and to continue to love it in the face of difficulties. The growth-minded athletes, CEOs, musicians, or scientists all loved what they did, whereas many of the fixed-minded ones did not.

Many growth-minded people didn’t even plan to go to the top. They got there as a result of doing what they love. It’s ironic: The top is where the fixed-mindset people hunger to be, but it’s where many growth-minded people arrive as a by-product of their enthusiasm for what they do.”

5. The Growth Mindset Makes It Worth It, Regardless of the Outcome

With the fixed inset, unless you win, you lose. But with the growth mindset, the journey is the reward, even when things don’t go as planned.

“In the fixed mindset, everything is about the outcome. If you fail — or if you’re not the best — it’s all been wasted. The growth mindset allows people to value what they’re doing regardless of the outcome. They’re tackling problems, charting new courses, working on important issues. Maybe they haven’t found the cure for cancer, but the search was deeply meaningful.”

6. See Your Relationships from a Growth Mindset.

Your relationships change when you let go of your ideal images and think of them from a growth standpoint.

“Picture your ideal love relationship. Does it involve perfect compatibility — no disagreements, no compromises, no hard work? Please think again. In every relationship, issues arise. Try to see them from a growth mindset: Problems can be a vehicle for developing greater understanding and intimacy. Allow your partner to air his or her differences, listen carefully and discuss them in a patient and caring manner. You may be surprised at the closeness this creates.”

7. Artistic Ability Can Be Developed Far Greater than What You’re Born With

Just because some people seem naturally good at something, doesn’t mean that others can’t do it, and sometimes even better with training.

“Edwards agrees that most people view drawing as a magical ability that only a select few possess, and that only a select few will ever possess. But this is because people don’t understand the components — the learnable components — of drawing. Actually, she informs us, they are not drawing skills at all, but seeing skills. They are the ability to perceive edges, spaces, relationships, lights and shadows, and the whole. Drawing requires us to learn each component skill and then combine them into one process. Some people simply puck up these skills in the natural course of their lives, whereas others have to work to learn them and put them together.”

8. Physical Skills Can Be Developed Far Greater than What You’re Born With.

Do you think the fastest woman on earth was born that way?

Nope.

Wilma Rudolph, hailed as the fastest woman on earth after she won three gold medals for sprints and relay in the 1960 Rome Olympics, didn’t start out so “lucky.”

She was far from a physical wonder as a youngster. She was a premature baby, the twentieth of twenty-two children born to her parents, and a constantly sick child. At four years of age, she nearly died of a long struggle with double pneumonia, scarlet fever, and polio, emerging with a mostly paralyzed left leg. Doctors gave her little hope of using it again. For eight years, she vigorously pursued physical therapy until at age twelve she shed her leg brace and began to walk normally.”

9. Parents, Teachers, and Coaches: Don’t Judge, Teach.

Parents, teachers, and coaches shape mindsets through their actions and words.

“In fact, every word and action can send a message. It tells children — or students, or athletes — how to think about themselves. It can be a fixed-mindset message that says: You have permanent traits and I’m judging them. Or it can be a growth-mindset message that says: You are a developing person and I am interested in your development.

Praising children’s intelligence harms their motivation and it harms their performance. Parents think they can hand children permanent confidence — like a gift — by praising their brains and talent. It doesn’t work, and in fact has the opposite effect. It makes children doubt themselves as soon as anything is hard or anything goes wrong. If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence.”

10. We All Have Interests that Can Blossom into Abilities.

Don’t let a fixed mindset hold you back from what you’re capable of.

“The same is true for every prodigy Winner describes. Most often people believe that the ‘gift’ is the ability itself. Yet what feeds it is that constant, endless curiosity and challenge seeking.

Is it ability or mindset? Was it Mozart’s musical ability or the fact that he worked till his hands were deformed? Was it Darwin’s scientific ability or the fact that he collected specimens nonstop from early childhood?”

Break the chains.

Let go.

Enjoy the process of becoming what you’re capable of.

In the words of Steve Maraboli:

“Once your mindset changes, everything on the outside will change along with it.”

6 lesson from book 6 pillars of self-esteem.

1. The first pillar is the practice of living consciously. This means that we're present in each moment and aware of what's going on inside of us as well as around us. We don't ignore information that we don't like, and we pay attention to our emotions. People who are living consciously are able to focus on what is happening now, and to stop thinking about the past and the future.

2. Self-acceptance is the second pillar. It means that we accept ourselves unconditionally. We are compassionate toward ourselves even when we don't admire our own feelings or decisions. These factors do not change our respect for ourselves.

3. Self-responsibility means recognizing that we're in charge of our own choices and actions, and that no one else can make them, change them, or fix them for us. We don't blame others for our own choices, and don't expect others to make us happy.

4. Self-assertiveness is the fourth pillar. It's the practice of honoring our needs and interests and of expressing them in appropriate ways. We know that it's okay to have needs, and that it's acceptable to let others know about them in a healthy way.

5. Living purposefully is all about our goals. If we're living purposefully, we set goals, and make plans that will allow us to reach them. We live with these goals in mind.

6. The last pillar of self-esteem is personal integrity. This means that we have convictions about what behavior is appropriate, and we keep our behavior in line with that standard. You might summarize this pillar by saying that we 'walk our talk.'

5 Important Lessons I Learned from “The Compound Effect “

1)Luck does NOT exist

People may look at someone on social media or real life achieving success and reaching their goals and think, “Wow. They are so lucky. Having it all must be nice.” However, the behind-the-scenes blood, sweat, tears, hard work, sleepless nights, sacrificed relationships, etc. are never going to be shown on Instagram or tweeted about.

Getting to your goals and making yourself proud is not something that should be left to chance or put off until you find your “big break.” When you think someone is “lucky”, you’re mistaken. The complete formula for “luck” as listed in “The Compound Effect” is:

Preparation+Attitude+Opportunity+Action=Luck

2. The earlier your changes begin, the sooner you reap the benefits

In my opinion, this is the core of what the compound effect is about. When you start making changes early and stick with them, you will see improvements quicker than if you start and stop. Consistency and small improvements over time are what will change the trajectory of your life.

3. Focusing on willpower is futile

Willpower has let you (and me) down time and time again. You think that setting a goal and trying to be consistent in completing it is what will help you to get there…WRONG! In fact, focusing on your why-power is more important than the will.

Your why-power is just that: WHY. WHY are you setting this goal? WHY are you motivated to achieve this? Once you connect your core motivation to a goal you are setting, getting it done is a bit easier and even enjoyable.

4. Knowing your triggers is ESSENTIAL

More than likely you have habits that you would deem “bad habits.” Knowing your bad habits is the first step to correcting them. The second step? Knowing what triggers them. Does your productivity slow down with the Twitter tab open at work? Does forgetting to bring a snack for the day make you want to eat out for lunch?

Writing down your bad habits and the occurrences that may cause them will help you in your quest to rectify them.

5. Controlling what your brain consumes is a major key

When you put good, nourishing foods in your body, it runs at its best. Similarly, when you take in good news and positive media your brain performs better. Turning on the television or radio and consuming the news today can have a negative impact on your frame of mind. It can put you in a state of focusing on fear, lack and worries.

Instead, try to take in news, podcasts, music or any other form of media that will put you in a positive mindset to go achieve your goals.

Top 10 Lessons from "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel

1. Compounding

Sustained long term investments beat short termed high return interests over time due to compound interest.

Fun fact: Warren Buffet accumulated 97% of his wealth after his 65th birthday.

2. Wealth is what you don’t see

We have a tendency to judge wealth based on what we see: cars, clothes, and houses.

Investment accounts, on the other hand, are not visible. We base our financial success on outward appearances.

3. Freedom

The ability to wake up every morning and say, "I can do whatever I want, when I want, with who I want, for as long as I want," is the ultimate form of wealth.

This, above all, is the highest dividend money can pay.

4. Strategy

Live below your means.
You should value your freedom of autonomy more than buying nice things you wanna have right now.

Use that money to educate yourself and start investing.

Being willing to delay your gratification is a must!

5. Risk

Risk is what is left over after you thought you took everything into account.
It is unpredictable and noone is safe from it.

Risk is gonna decrease over time when you make long term investments and don´t worry about short term volatile market situations.

6. Setbacks

Losing money once in a while is normal but you shouldn´t think that you lost money because you necessarily messed up.

Look at it as a fee for investing and making profitable returns over time instead of a fine that needs to be paid for doing something wrong.

7. Reasonable vs. rational

Beware of the difference between acting upon emotion or rational thoughts.

One is not better than the other.

Sometimes, acting reasonably instead of rationally even when the numbers don´t add up on your spreadsheets, could lead to huge success.

8. Room for error

Morgan assumes that the future returns on his investments will be 13 percent lower than the historical average.

As a result, he saves more than he would if he assumed the future will be similar to the past. It's his margin of safety.

9. Benchmarks

Don´t compare your profits and returns to those of other investors.

Measure your success by what makes you happy and what your goals are.

Investing is not a race and you don´t have to feel ashamed nor entitled based on how little or how much profit you made.

10. Tails, you win

Long tails, or the extremes of the distribution of outcomes, have enormous sway in finance, where a small number of events account for the vast majority of outcomes.

A tail event is the cause of anything huge, profitable, famous, or influential.

Top 10 lesson from the book -"Be The Best version of yourself"

1. Don't delay

Thinking about running that marathon? Register today. Eager to pursue that degree? Start preparing your application.

The first step to doing anything worthwhile is beginning. And while it can be quite challenging to make that initial leap, without kicking off the process, you won't get anywhere.

2. Prioritize what matters to you - not others

You'll never feel fulfilled if you live trying to meet someone else's expectations. Instead, channel your effort and energy toward what matters to you.

That may be your family, travel, or reading a good book regularly. Only you can determine what's most important to your happiness and sense of purpose in life.

Spend time around people who encourage positive self-talk and make you feel good about yourself.

3. Don't sweat the small stuff

Unexpected events will undoubtedly arise as you go through life. You'll make errors and embarrass yourself. That's okay. Learn from your mistakes and setbacks and be grateful for the progress you're making.

4. Accept help from others

Your pride can hold you back from accepting praise and evolving. Try to work against this, and accept help rather than denying it.

There's no need to travel the road to find your best self alone. BetterUp coaches are here to help keep you accountable and provide the perspective you need to carry on when the going gets tough.

5. Take a break from social media

Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and even Linkedin are deeply embedded in our lives. But even as social media keeps us connected and informed, it can lead to comparison and self-doubt.

If you find that scrolling your feeds leaves you feeling down, not uplifted, try to establish boundaries. And if you feel inadequate as you browse social media, remember people tend to post their highlights, not low moments.

6. Celebrate small victories

The little things matter.

Celebrating even small wins will give you the motivation to keep going until you reach your final goal. If you're focusing on one big goal, try splitting it into steps so that you're seeing progress. Don't forget to reward yourself as you hit benchmarks and milestones!

7. Exercise daily

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Exercise brings a wealth of positive effects to your everyday life:

According to a study from 2017, exercise creates better blood flow to the hippocampus region of your brain a region that's crucial for your memory. This translates into better working memory and focus. You'll be more productive and efficient.

• Physical activity also clears your mind and delivers a rush of oxygen to your tissues that helps your organs work more efficiently, which gives you more physical energy.

• And, of course, exercise makes a big difference to your long-term health, helping prevent chronic health conditions such as type to diabetes and high blood pressure, according to the Mayo Clinic. Your best self is a healthy self.

8. Speak up for yourself

Your opinion is important. Stand up and speak up. It may be nerve-wracking, but the more you practice, the more confident you'll feel.

9. Embrace failure

In order to experience growth,

you'll need to get out of your comfort zone.

You'll never develop new skills, discover new interests and passions, or experience personal growth without risks.

Failure can be the best teacher if you take the time to reflect and do the work to learn from it.

10. Stop looking for short-cuts

These don't exist when it comes to self improvement. It takes patience and hard work Period.

🏋️‍♀️🏋️3 extra tips to be the best version of yourself

As you strive toward authenticity and being the best possible version of you, it's wise to remember the following:

1. Your values

Whether it's family, trust, loyalty, hard work, or kindness, what you value is at the core of what defines you. Your personal values define how you view the world and others in it.

2. Your strengths

Everyone has both hard and soft skills, and is capable of accomplishing a ton. Focus on developing your strengths - these will help you overcome hurdles.

3. The importance of self

compassion

You may feel like you're traveling in a completely different direction than others, especially if you're not where you want to be. Take a moment to appreciate what your mind and body do for you. You'll get there.

10 lesson from book -" LAWS OF HUMAN NATURE"

1. Self sabotage is more common than you think.

Break free of defeating patterns of behaviour by developing a positive attitude towards your

situation. No matter how bad, you can always change it.

2. Learn to see through the masks people are

wearing.

Not only will you be able to better understand

them. You will also be able to present yourself

optimally to the world.

3. Be honest with yourself about your own

character.

Come to terms with your negative traits, to better overcome them and leverage people who offset your weaknesses.

4. Take a step back instead of always reacting in the moment.

Train yourself to always look at the bigger picture.

5. The best offense is indirect.

Break throughpeople's defenses by validating their self opinionand aligning your ideas with it.

6. We hide our greed, anger, and jealousy to fit in and be likeable.

Learn to channel your negative energy in

productive ways. You overcome your darkness by integrating it into your daily life.

7. Every person has both masculine and feminine energies.

Learn to embrace both to become a more balancedand effective individual.

8. Overcome your immediate impulses by finding purpose .

With a strong why and reason to act, instant gratification will no longer rule you.

9. We all conform to groups to fit in.

It's difficult to resist their downward pull. Realize that some groups are better for you than others.

10. Think about death regularly.

It sounds paradoxical but thinking about death

gives urgency and meaning to life.

Leverage an awareness of death to increase the quality of your life.