Grit: Why Effort Counts Twice

Good morning! Can I ask you a question?

早上好！我能问你一个问题吗？

Who succeeds in life? Is it the most talented people?

谁会在人生中成功？是最有天赋的人吗？

Angela Duckworth wanted to find out.

安杰拉·达克沃思想找出答案。

Her answer became a famous book called Grit.

她的答案写成了一本名著：《坚毅》。

Before she was a scientist, Duckworth was a maths teacher.

在成为科学家之前，达克沃思是一名数学老师。

And she noticed something strange.

她注意到一件奇怪的事。

Some of her smartest students didn't do very well.

她最聪明的一些学生成绩并不太好。

And some students who struggled at first did brilliantly!

而一些一开始很吃力的学生，后来却表现出色！

Later, she studied new cadets at West Point, a famous army academy.

后来，她研究了著名的西点军校的新学员。

Their first summer there is incredibly tough.

他们在那里的第一个夏天异常艰苦。

Some cadets quit after just a few weeks.

有些学员只过了几周就放弃了。

So who stayed? Not the strongest, and not the smartest.

那么谁留了下来？不是最强壮的，也不是最聪明的。

The ones who stayed had grit.

留下来的人都有坚毅的品质。

Grit means passion and perseverance for long-term goals.

坚毅指的是对长期目标的热情和毅力。

In simple words, you love something, and you don't give up.

简单地说，就是热爱一件事，并且不放弃。

Duckworth also says effort counts twice.

达克沃思还说，努力的作用要算两次。

First, effort turns your talent into skill.

首先，努力把天赋变成技能。

Then, effort turns that skill into real success.

然后，努力再把技能变成真正的成功。

Her family even has a fun rule. They call it the Hard Thing Rule.

她家甚至有一条有趣的规定，叫“难事规则”。

Everyone must do one hard thing, like the violin or ballet.

每个人都必须做一件难事，比如拉小提琴或跳芭蕾。

And you can't quit in the middle. You finish the season first.

而且不能半途而废，要先坚持完这一期。

So, if you're not the most talented person, don't worry.

所以，就算你不是最有天赋的人，也别担心。

Find something you love, and keep going.

找到你热爱的事，然后坚持下去。

Especially on the hard days!

尤其是在艰难的日子里！