In the late 1990s, a teacher named Angela Duckworth made a surprising discovery. Some of the smartest kids in her math classes were getting the lowest grades. But some of the kids with lower IQ scores were getting the highest grades. Why was this happening? [A] 

To solve this mystery, Duckworth went back to college. She did a program in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She researched people in different fields—salespeople, college students, army cadets, and teachers. In one study, she showed people a list of statements—for example, “I finish whatever I begin.” The people chose an answer for each question. The answers went from “Very much like me” to “Not like me at all.” In another study, she recorded people’s answers to a different set of questions—such as, “Would you rather have a dollar now or two dollars tomorrow?” [B]

From her research, Duckworth realized that many successful people are similar in two main ways. First of all, they have self-control—the ability to avoid distractions and get tasks done. For example, a person with self-control can stay home to study instead of going to a party. More importantly, though, these people have grit. Grit is about big goals rather than small tasks. People with grit do whatever it takes to succeed. They work hard to achieve an important goal and don’t give up. They keep trying even if they fail over and over again. [C]

Is it possible to develop self-control and grit? Duckworth believes so. One way, she suggests, is to follow the “Hard Thing” rule: Choose a skill that is hard for you, such as learning a new language or playing a musical instrument. Practice it daily, even if you don’t feel like it. Don’t give up! To be successful, you need to stay with it. Duckworth also advises changing habits to avoid distractions. For example, put your phone away when you’re studying. “Children know these tricks,” she says, “but adults sometimes forget them.” [D] 

To be successful at what you do, Duckworth has this advice: Decide on something you really want to achieve and find people who will support you. You also need to practice, practice, practice. As she says in her book Grit, “… if you create a vision for yourself and stick with it, you can make amazing things happen in your life.” [E] 

IQ scores are the results of a test that measures people’s ability to understand and learn things.

Distractions are things that take your attention away from important tasks.

A vision is an idea of the future.