I was tricked into thinking I had tons of grit as a student.
I worked hard in school. I put in long hours. I stayed up all night reading and preparing for debate topics, doing homework, writing essays.
It was easy for me to burn the midnight oil. I enjoy arguing. I enjoy reading. I enjoy math problems. I enjoy programming. I enjoy going down Wikipedia rabbit holes.
Somebody observing would or could have said I had “grit.”
In Range, David Epstein talks about how Daniel Kahneman (yes, that Daniel Kahneman) and the Israeli military failed to predict who would become leaders based on who had taken control during an obstacle course challenge.
It’s possible to show leadership or grit or enthusiasm in one area, and then fail to show it in other activities. We all knew a hard-working athlete who slept through class, and a bookworm who never practiced shooting baskets.1
In fact, I was (am?) one of those people with “grit” when preparing for tests but not when working out.
A list of things where I’ve traditionally failed to be consistently “gritty”: