I left a very demanding job in management consulting

辭去了一份很費心血的管理諮詢工作，

for a job that was even more demanding: teaching.

而接受了一份更辛苦的工作：教書。

I went to teach seventh graders math

我在紐約的公立學校

in the New York City public schools.

教七年級學生數學。

And like any teacher, I made quizzes and tests.

和其他老師一樣，我出小測、考試題目，

I gave out homework assignments.

也佈置回家作業。

When the work came back, I calculated grades.

作業上交後，我批改、計分。

What struck me was that I.Q. was not the only difference

我發現，我最好和最差的學生之間的差異

between my best and my worst students.

並不僅僅是智商。

Some of my strongest performers

有些非常優秀的學生

did not have stratospheric I.Q. scores.

智商並非特別得高

Some of my smartest kids weren't doing so well.

有些非常聰明的學生，學業也並非很好。

And that got me thinking.

這引發了我的思考。

The kinds of things you need to learn in seventh grade math,

七年級數學要學的東西

sure, they're hard: ratios, decimals,

確實挺難：比例、小數、

the area of a parallelogram.

平行四邊形的面積。

But these concepts are not impossible,

但這些概念並不是不能理解，

and I was firmly convinced that every one of my students

我也堅信我的每一位學生

could learn the material

都能學會這些知識，

if they worked hard and long enough.

只要他們足夠認真、堅持用功。

After several more years of teaching,

教了幾年以後，

I came to the conclusion that what we need in education

我得出一個結論：我們的教育所需要的

is a much better understanding of students and learning

是一種對學生、對學習更好的理解——

from a motivational perspective,

從動機的角度、

from a psychological perspective.

從心理的角度去理解。

In education, the one thing we know how to measure best

在教育領域，我們最擅長測試的指標

is I.Q., but what if doing well in school and in life

是智商，但如果說在學校和生活中的表現好壞

depends on much more

不僅僅取決於

than your ability to learn quickly and easily?

你是否能又好又快地學習呢？

So I left the classroom,

於是，我離開了課堂，

and I went to graduate school to become a psychologist.

來到了研究所，成為了一名心理學家。

I started studying kids and adults

我開始研究兒童與成人

in all kinds of super challenging settings,

處於各種艱巨挑戰中的表現。

and in every study my question was,

在每次研究中，我關注的是：

who is successful here and why?

誰會成功？爲什麽會成功？

My research team and I went to West Point Military Academy.

我和我的研究團隊去了西點軍校。

We tried to predict which cadets

我們試著預測哪些學員

would stay in military training and which would drop out.

能通過軍事訓練，哪些會放棄。

We went to the National Spelling Bee

我們去看全國拼字比賽，

and tried to predict which children would advance

試著預測哪些孩子能在比賽中

farthest in competition.

留到最後。

We studied rookie teachers

我們研究在非常艱苦的環境下

working in really tough neighborhoods, asking

工作的新教師，

which teachers are still going to be here in teaching

預測哪些教師在學年末時

by the end of the school year,

還能堅持在崗位上。

and of those, who will be the most effective

當然還有，哪些教師教出的學生

at improving learning outcomes for their students?

成績的提高最為顯著？

We partnered with private companies, asking,

我們和私人公司合作，

which of these salespeople is going to keep their jobs?

預測哪些銷售人員能保住工作？

And who's going to earn the most money?

誰能賺最多錢？

In all those very different contexts,

在這些非常不同的背景下，

one characteristic emerged

我們發現有一個特質

as a significant predictor of success.

能夠很好地預測成功。

And it wasn't social intelligence.

它不是社交能力。

It wasn't good looks, physical health, and it wasn't I.Q.

不是美麗的外貌，不是健康的身體，也不是智商。

It was grit.

而是意志力。

Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals.

意志力是面對長遠目標時的熱情和毅力。

Grit is having stamina.

意志力是有耐力的表現。

Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out,

意志力是日復一日依然對未來堅信不已

not just for the week, not just for the month,

不只是這週、 不只是這個月，

but for years, and working really hard

而是年復一年。用心、努力工作

to make that future a reality.

來實現所堅信的那個未來。

Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint.

意志力是將生活看作是一場馬拉松，不是短跑。

A few years ago, I started studying grit

幾年前，我在芝加哥公立學校

in the Chicago public schools.

開始研究意志力。

I asked thousands of high school juniors

我請數以千計的高中生

to take grit questionnaires,

填寫關於意志力的問卷。

and then waited around more than a year

然後等了大約一年多

to see who would graduate.

看看誰會畢業。

Turns out that grittier kids

結果發現，意志力越堅定的孩子

were significantly more likely to graduate,

畢業的可能性明顯越高，

even when I matched them on every characteristic I could measure,

其他所有可能的影響因素都被考慮並排除了

things like family income,

比如家庭收入，

standardized achievement test scores,

標準化測驗的分數，

even how safe kids felt when they were at school.

甚至孩子們在學校時的安全感。

So it's not just at West Point or the National Spelling Bee

所以意志力並不只是在西點軍校或全國拼字比賽中

that grit matters. It's also in school,

非常重要。在學校，

especially for kids at risk for dropping out.

尤其是對有輟學危險的孩子來說，意志力同樣重要。

To me, the most shocking thing about grit

關於意志力，最令我吃驚的事情

is how little we know,

是我們以及科學界

how little science knows, about building it.

對於如何鍛煉意志力知之甚少。

Every day, parents and teachers ask me,

每天，家長和老師都會問我，

"How do I build grit in kids?

"如何鍛煉孩子們的意志力？

What do I do to teach kids a solid work ethic?

我怎麼教會孩子堅實的職業道德？

How do I keep them motivated for the long run?"

怎樣才能讓他們有長遠的動力？”

The honest answer is, I don't know. (Laughter)

最誠實的回答是，我不知道。（笑聲）

What I do know is that talent doesn't make you gritty.

我所知道的是，有才華不意味著就有意志力。

Our data show very clearly

我們的資料非常清楚地揭示

that there are many talented individuals

有很多才華橫溢的人

who simply do not follow through on their commitments.

並不能堅持到底，實現承諾。

In fact, in our data, grit is usually unrelated

事實上，我們的研究發現，意志力通常與才華無關，

or even inversely related to measures of talent.

有時甚至成反比。

So far, the best idea I've heard about building grit in kids

關於鍛煉孩子們的意志，到目前為止，我聽過的最好的方法

is something called "growth mindset."

叫做“成長型思維模式”理論。

This is an idea developed at Stanford University

這是史丹福大學的

by Carol Dweck, and it is the belief

Carol Dweck 的研究的成果。這個理論相信

that the ability to learn is not fixed,

學習的能力不是一成不變的，

that it can change with your effort.

它會由於你的努力發生變化。

Dr. Dweck has shown that when kids read and learn

Dweck 博士已證明，當孩子們閱讀和學習大腦的相關知識

about the brain and how it changes and grows

以及大腦在面對挑戰時

in response to challenge,

會怎樣變化和成長時，

they're much more likely to persevere when they fail,

他們更有可能在失敗時繼續堅持，

because they don't believe that failure

因為他們不相信

is a permanent condition.

他們永遠會失敗。

So growth mindset is a great idea for building grit.

所以，成長型思維模式是一種鍛煉意志力的好方法。

But we need more.

但我們還需要更多這樣的理念。

And that's where I'm going to end my remarks,

而今天我的演講就到此為止，

because that's where we are.

因為這就是我們當下的認知。

That's the work that stands before us.

這就是擺在我們面前的任務。

We need to take our best ideas, our strongest intuitions,

我們需要拿出我們最好的想法、最強的直覺

and we need to test them.

對他們進行檢驗。

We need to measure whether we've been successful,

我們需要衡量我們是否取得了成功，

and we have to be willing to fail, to be wrong,

我們必須願意失敗、願意犯錯、

to start over again with lessons learned.

願意吸取教訓並從頭開始。

In other words, we need to be gritty

換句話說，在加強我們孩子意志力這件事上，

about getting our kids grittier.

我們自己也要有不懈的意志。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）