Book of the Week: Grit by Angela Duckworth

Miriam-Webster's dictionary definition of the word "grit" is a "firmness of mind or spirit; unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger." It is something, the author of the book, Angela Duckworth spent years studying through interactions with West Point students going through Beast week to phone calls with Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll.

At first glance when you see this book on the bookshelf, it isn't eye-popping. It doesn't stand out. It looks kinda bland. But as the saying goes "never judge at book by its cover" because inside it is so informative.

Much of what I have read in this book I was able to make connections to many of the "video of days" I posted in the past. Duckworth spends time discussing self-made billionaire, Warren Buffett's three-step goals while also mentioning Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' upbringing. Both men's success has prominently been featured numerous times in posts throughout this blog. Visit the most recent day Jeff Bezos was featured in Alux.com's "15 Things You Didn't Know About Jeff Bezos" it's really pretty interesting.

For the football fans out there, Duckworth brought Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll into the conversation. Carroll explained that his unceremonious exit from New England was actually a blessing. He examined what he needed and discovered the thing he truly lacked was a philosophy. During his time in New England, Carroll really didn't have a philosophy and it wasn't until after he left did he begin to construct one.

It was eye-opening. The philosophy Carroll's successor Bill Belichick brought to New England, "The Patriot Way," Carroll built in Seattle and what it truly meant to be a Seahawk. Knowing this now and looking back on Super Bowl XLIX, it really was one of the best Super Bowls. And not just because the Patriots came out on top), but because you had two teams with similar values and beliefs going head-to-head.

Now if only one of Carroll's beliefs was to hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch he would've had that second straight Super Bowl Championship. However, he did follow through on his promise that he would bring New England a title - albeit it was nearly two decades later.

And yes Duckworth did bring up that second down pass play from the one yard line. She never asked Pete if he truly felt he made "worst call ever," but he did tell Sports Illustrated a month later that it wasn't the worst decision, it was the "worst possible outcome."

That right there is pretty telling. It's the situation you're handed, but how you view it. And Pete's choosing to view it in a positive light.

(But really, it was a bad decision. Not only do you not throw the ball when you're at the one yard line, especially when you have one of the best running backs in the game, but if you do choose to attempt a pass you don't go over the middle! A nice out pass towards the flag works, that way if it's not caught it can't be intercepted. And by the way, thank you Malcolm Butler!)