“We’d all face limits—not Justin talent, but in opportunity. But more often than we think, our limits are self imposed. We try, fail, and conclude we’ve bumped our heads against the ceiling of possibility. Or maybe after taking a just a few steps we change direction. In either case, we never venture as far as we might have.

“To be gritty is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. To be gritty is to hold fast to an interesting and purposeful goal. To be gritty is to fall down seven times, and rise eight.” Angela Duckworth, from “Grit”

“Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance,” a breakthrough book on the science of accomplishment, is full of valuable takeaways for pursuing the writing life.

Passion + Perseverance = Power. That’s Angela’s message in a nutshell.

When we combine our passion for a goal that excites and energizes us with persistence, we can accomplish amazing things. We can make miracles happen.

Can we become “grittier?” That’s the $64,000 question, isn’t it? Can we train ourselves to push past obstacles, to stay committed to a goal when things get tough?

Yes, we can! That’s the heartening answer at the heart of “Grit.” Like any other quality we strive to foster, grit—stick-to-it-iveness in the face of difficulty—is a skill that we can develop, a muscle we can strengthen.

How? “Grit” explores this question in detail. Here are a few ideas to intrigue and encourage you:

We activate grit ourselves by finding passion and purpose—a goal we feel is worthy of our energy and time.

We activate grit by making a commitment to pursue that goal.

We activate grit by putting effort into our pursuit—by practicing and focusing on it consistently, even when we hit plateaus.

We activate grit by surrounding ourselves with other “gritty” people who demonstrate the staying power we want to cultivate.

Grit—a four-letter word that packs a powerful punch! Let’s get grittier as we all write on!