Grit
Highlighted as a crucial trait for entrepreneurs, exemplified by Tony Hinchcliffe's early struggles, including sleeping in his car.
First Mentioned
12/25/2025, 2:12:36 AM
Last Updated
12/25/2025, 2:13:39 AM
Research Retrieved
12/25/2025, 2:13:39 AM
Summary
Grit is a psychological trait defined by perseverance and passion for long-term goals, often serving as a more accurate predictor of success than intellectual talent (IQ). In the context of modern entrepreneurship and media, this concept is exemplified by Tony Hinchcliffe, the creator of the comedy phenomenon 'Kill Tony.' Hinchcliffe's career trajectory illustrates grit through his transition from performing at open mics at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles to building a successful independent brand in Austin, Texas. His journey involves navigating significant challenges, including censorship on digital platforms like YouTube and the pursuit of creative freedom, which aligns with the psychological definition of maintaining determination despite failure and adversity.
Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Related Field
Positive Psychology
Core Components
Sustained passion and sustained effort over years or decades
Predictive Utility
Higher predictor of success and educational attainment than IQ
Primary Researcher
Angela Duckworth (Psychologist)
Psychological Definition
Perseverance and passion for long-term goals
Entrepreneurial Application
The ability to overcome obstacles like censorship and platform restrictions to achieve creative independence
Timeline
- Tony Hinchcliffe begins the 'Kill Tony' show at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, marking the start of a long-term entrepreneurial journey in comedy. (Source: cfe9c101-97e5-4366-9b58-f678e7dd354c)
2013-01-01
- Psychologist Angela Duckworth popularizes the concept of grit through her research and publications, defining it as a key character trait for success. (Source: https://www.aft.org/ae/summer2016/willingham)
2016-05-01
- The COVID-19 pandemic begins, eventually driving creators like Hinchcliffe to move from California to Austin, Texas, to maintain creative and operational freedom. (Source: cfe9c101-97e5-4366-9b58-f678e7dd354c)
2020-03-01
- Tony Hinchcliffe appears on the All-In Podcast holiday special in San Francisco to discuss the role of grit and entrepreneurship in his career. (Source: cfe9c101-97e5-4366-9b58-f678e7dd354c)
2024-12-01
Web Search Results
- Grit (personality trait)
In psychology, grit is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on a person's perseverance of effort combined with their passion for a particular long-term goal or end state (a powerful motivation to achieve an objective). This perseverance of effort helps people overcome obstacles or challenges to accomplishment and drives people to achieve. [...] Grit was defined as "perseverance and passion for long-term goals" by psychologist Angela Duckworth and colleagues, who extensively studied grit as a personality trait.( They observed that people high in grit were able to maintain their determination and motivation over long periods despite experiences with failure and adversity.( They concluded that grit is a better predictor of success than intellectual talent (IQ), based on their evaluation of educational attainment by adults; GPA among Ivy [...] Grit is closely linked to resilience within the field of positive psychology. Individuals with higher levels of grit are able to bounce back from set backs more quickly due to a positive mindset. Grit highlights perseverance in working towards life long goals. These individuals tend to experience more success and demonstrate a more sustained effort over longer periods of time. ( Intelligence [edit&action=edit§ion=3 "Edit section: Intelligence")]
- Ask the Cognitive Scientist: “Grit” Is Trendy, But Can It Be ...
Answer: Grit is something new. It’s a character trait defined as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals.”1 Long-term goals are those that typically take years to attain. Passion in this context means what we might call an overriding concern in your life, something that gives direction and purpose to much of what you do. [...] Grit is another personality characteristic that you may want to nurture in your students. Grit is not necessary for a successful, happy life, and it’s not sufficient for one either. However, understanding what grit is may serve you in helping along its nascent development when you spot grit in a student. [...] Grit is an example of the latter. Being gritty means being deeply committed to a long-term goal and following through on that commitment by pursuing it over the course of years. That goal might be to graduate at the top of your high school class, or to have a successful career in the military, or to be an internationally competitive gymnast.
- Grit: What It Is and How You Can Learn It
When I say grit, I mean a combination of passion and perseverance (sustained passion and sustained effort) over very long time frames – for decades, if not a lifetime. Not only do gritty people work hard and finish projects, but they are in love with what they do and they think about it all the time – they are in love with a given topic for their entire lives and truly never get bored with it. The opposite is someone who is obsessed with something on Monday and by Thursday has moved on to
- GRIT | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
verb (/us/help/codes.html) us /ɡrɪt/ -tt- ### grit verb [T] (PRESS) to press your top and bottom teeth together: I grit my teeth because I’m trying not to moan. (Definition of grit from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) ## Examples of grit grit She teaches us about honor, integrity, and grit. From Huffington Post The first is to make sure you salt the water before you add the grits. From NPR [...] Grit is one of the characteristics of successful people. From The Seattle Times They ate a bit, wiped the grit from their faces, watched the news and called home. From The Star-Ledger - NJ.com The mom who spoke to me about grit also, on a separate occasion, spoke to me about wanting a slow separation from her child. From The Atlantic [...] audaciousness audacity backbone balls bell bell the cat idiom courage daring derring-do Dutch courage fearlessness gut heroism intestinal fortitude liquid courage nerve pluck spunk swash valorous See more results » ### grit noun [U] (FOOD) grits (/us/help/codes.html) US a dish of hominy grain (= dried corn that has been made soft) eaten especially as a morning meal: Do you eat your grits with syrup, or just plain? See more UK
- GRIT Definition & Meaning
: firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger managed to survive by grit and guile 5 Grit : a Liberal in Canadian politics grit 2 of 2 ## verb gritted; gritting transitive verb 1 : to cause (one's teeth) to grind or grate gritted his teeth in pain/anger/determination —sometimes used figuratively To be the best you have to grit your teeth and keep working at it. 2 : to cover or spread with grit [...] Show more Show more + Citation + Share + Kids + Legal + More from M-W + To save this word, you'll need to log in. Log In # grit 1 of 2 ## noun Synonyms of grit a : sand, gravel b : a hard sharp granule (as of sand) also : material (as many abrasives) composed of such granules 2 : any of several sandstones 3 a : the structure of a stone that adapts it to grinding b : the size of abrasive particles usually expressed as their mesh 4 [...] b : material (as an abrasive) composed of grits 2 : firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage gritty ˈgrit-ē adjective grit 2 of 2 verb gritted; gritting : to grind or cause to grind : grate grit one's teeth ## Legal Definition GRIT abbreviation grantor retained income trust ## More from Merriam-Webster on grit Nglish: Translation of grit for Spanish Speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about grit Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Wikidata
View on WikidataInstance Of