gift of grit

               Tough says that grit is one of the key factors in determining success in life and I would have to agree.  If a person is coddled too much in life then when they face adversity without support they will fail because they do not have a sense of self reliance.  It is just like learning how to walk.  At first you learn to walk by bracing yourself on a table or wall.  Then you start to walk without support and eventually you fall down.  The fact that you fall down does not dissuade you though, you just learn not to overbalance yourself.  Eventually you are able to walk without falling down and you soon discover you can run.  Theoretically the kids at KIPP have been walking without support and falling down constantly without learning the basics that the use of support gives. The ones at Riverdale have been walking with support and never falling.  Neither of them will learn to run which is the equivalent of success in life.  In my opinion too much adversity breeds fear of failure while too little breeds overconfidence.  That is why it is important to develop a good rounded character that is confident enough but does not fear failure.