While the word __________ may conjure images of Rocky Balboa or Dirty Harry, in the past decade or so it has taken on a whole new meaning that has stolen the attention of parents and educators alike.

That's because according to University of Pennsylvania psychologist and MacArthur genius Angela Duckworth, grit, defined as a child's ____________________ for long-term goals, is a better indicator of future earnings and happiness than either IQ or talent.

Today's mounting research on grit suggests that your child's ability to work hard, __________, fail, and try again may be the key to success.

When we are in pursuit of a lofty goal, we don't know when or even whether we will __________. Until we do.

Grit is a distinct combination of passion, resilience, determination, and __________ that allows a person to maintain the discipline and optimism to persevere in their goals even in the face of discomfort, rejection, and a lack of visible progress for years, or even decades.

Through extensive research, Angela Duckworth and her team have proven that the common denominator among spelling bee finalists, successful West Point cadets, salespeople and teachers who not only stick with, but __________ in their performance is grit.

And according to study after study, people who are smart, talented, kind, curious, and come from stable, loving homes, generally don�t succeed if they don�t know how to work hard, remain committed to their goals, and persevere through struggles and __________.

In 2004 and 2006, Duckworth and a team of researchers tested the grit and__________ of several thousand incoming West Point cadets before their first summer at school.

The summer program, known as "Beast Barracks" is designed to push cadets to their mental and __________ limits, so much so that about 1 in 20 cadets drops out.

As parents, it is up to us to cultivate the confidence and optimism in our children that will allow them to power through those __________.

A mother of two, Duckworth told Marguerite Del Giudice, �Kids are not able to just spontaneously grow up to be __________ people without being supported in that.

But as children grow older, pursuing a interest of their own choosing can help them to identify a passion and understand that practice, hard work and perseverance are surest way to __________.

One of the characteristics of gritty people is that they are especially motivated to seek happiness through focused engagement and a sense of meaning or __________,

But even if our kids haven't found their life's work yet, we can help them __________ the habits and traits that comprise grit.

At the Duckworth house, they have implemented a __________ Thing Rule, which says that every member of the family must be working on something difficult at any given time.

Each person can choose his or her thing but it should be both interesting and require deliberate __________ almost daily.

No one can quit mid-season because things seem too __________.

The idea is to teach kids to __________ to something and work hard.

The learning process __________ always fun, and improvement does not come without effort.

But if a child is motivated to improve at something because she likes it, then the struggle will seem worthwhile and __________ will be its own reward.

Be it ballet, soccer, violin, or karate, allowing a child to choose an activity and work at it for a whole season (or longer for older children) not only helps children find and cultivate a passion, it also teaches __________ and reinforces the idea that practice begets skill.

According to the Duckworth lab, those who believe that diligence and __________ pays off beat out their less optimistic, and often more talented, counterparts nearly every time.

In a 2013 TED Talk, Duckworth said it is the best idea she has heard about how to increase grit in children is to teach what Stanford professor and author of the highly acclaimed book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck, calls a __________.

Dweck has found that people with "growth mindsets" are  __________ and tend to push through struggle because they believe that hard work is part of the process and they understand that failure is not a permanent condition.

Those with __________ on the other hand, believe that success stems from innate talent and tend to give up easily why work hard at something if you don't believe you can change anything?

The Duckworth lab's recent research, undertaken in partnership with classroom teachers, shows that students become less frustrated with the learning process and put forth more effort when they understand that even __________ struggle to learn their craft.

First-hand accounts of the obstacles that experts must overcome to make it have a real impact on helping kids manage __________ .

When a skilled performer does something well, it looks __________.

Watching Jordan Spieth drive a golf ball, Taylor Swift perform a song or Ina Garten prepare a meal can make success seem easy because we never see the frustration, fatigue or years of __________ and preparation that precede the final product.

In working to develop grit in children, we must point out the __________ that goes on behind the scenes.

Grit demands __________ taking.

__________ people are willing to step out of their comfort zones and risk failure to learn something new or pursue a long-term goal.

And while, by definition, a risk may end in __________, successful adults don't give up.

Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed says, Lots of parents don't want to talk about their __________ in front of their kids, but that's denying kids the potentially powerful experience of seeing their parents bounce back.

I thought about the handful of high school seniors I had met who were __________ to apply to certain colleges out of a fear of rejection.

Some were kids with high test scores and exceptional GPAs who __________ to strive for acceptance to an elite school because they didn't think they would get in, and others were lower achieving students who refused to apply at all.

It's hard to imagine that those kids would not be better off today if they had possessed the courage to risk __________ in pursuit of success.

It's easy to spout aphorisms like "Nothing ventured, nothing gained", but letting our kids see us put a little skin in the game may build the optimism and __________ they need to take some risks themselves.

__________ - The number of failed vacuum prototypes created by James Dyson before he came out with the Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner that made him a billionaire.

__________  The number of rejections Stephen King received before his first novel, Carrie, was finally accepted by a publisher.

__________ - The number of dollars lost on GoPro inventor, Nick Woodman's, failed first company.

According to the Duckworth lab statement, gritty people have cognitive dispositions that incline [them] to look for __________ causes of their current problems.

Grit means __________ the hope and vision to change even under the most challenging circumstances.

The internet is littered with one-liners about overcoming failure, but inspiring aphorisms are not enough to convince children that they should endure __________, setbacks and failures, especially painful ones.

To teach children to be resilient, we need to show them real examples of how failures and setbacks can lead to success by talking about them regularly, sharing our own experiences, and most importantly __________ them to fail.

Paul Tough says, It is a central paradox of contemporary parenting, in fact: we have an acute, almost biological impulse to provide for our children, to give them __________ and need, to protect them from dangers and discomforts both large and small.

And yet we all know  on some level, at least  that what kids need more than anything is a little __________: some challenge, some deprivation that they can overcome, even if just to prove to themselves that they can.

As parents, it is important that we don't let our protective instincts rob our kids of first-hand experiences with __________ victories.

In the months leading up to December 2014 Tyler Wagner trained to climb __________, the highest mountain in Africa.

He sacrificed time with his family, a wife and four children, for training and shared his excitement about the challenge with them as he worked toward his __________.

His daughter even checked out a library book with a picture of __________ on the front.

Then, the day after Christmas, he left his family and journeyed toward the __________ with a group of friends.

But before he could reach the summit, Tyler became so __________ that he could not go on.

Even now months later, he finds it difficult to reflect on the __________ attempt.

Still, he and his wife, Lauren, have turned his __________ into a lesson for his kids.

When Tyler talked to his family on Skype soon after leaving the mountain, he shared his sadness and __________ over not finishing the climb.

But since then they have talked a lot about his experience in __________, not just the climb but also the safari that followed the animals, the food, and the way Tyler adapted daily routines in this foreign environment.

Fear of failure and __________ is something I don't want them to focus on, he says.

I hope they saw that I took a chance and stepped out of my comfort zone, and while I didn't climb to the __________,

Today Tyler is talking about a __________ attempt, and Lauren says it may be a family affair.

The kids believe that Tyler will definitely __________ again, she says, and they plan to be there with him.

Failure is painful and humbling, and as parents it is __________ to admit to our kids that it happens to us too.

Yet exposing them to failure may be the very thing to inoculate them __________ giving up when they come face-to-face with failure themselves.

They need to know that frustrating and __________ moments are not the end of something but a natural part of the journey toward achievement.