Ready to begin or deepen your meditation practice? Join Dan Harris and world-class meditation teachers on the 10% with Dan Harris app here: https://app.danharris.com/membership When we think about success, we mostly think about internal stuff — hard work, smarts, willpower, discipline. Our guest wrote the book on grit, which is arguably the internal game's most iconic concept. Now she's out with a follow-up that argues the external game — the situation you're in, the people around you, where you place your phone — matters just as much, maybe more. And unlike your temperament, most of it is actually changeable. Angela Duckworth is a University of Pennsylvania professor and the author of the massive bestseller Grit. Her new book, Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best, is a practical case for taking seriously the environment you build for yourself. In this episode: – Beyond Grit — why the outside game matters as much as the inside game – What Angela actually means by "situation" (roughly: everything around you) – The difference between self-control and grit — and why willpower is such a fragile faculty – The golden strategy: shape your environment so unwanted impulses don't develop at all – The Gallup-partnered phone-placement study — the closer the phone, the lower the GPA – Angela's mother painted a giant portrait of her — hunched over her phone – The "bad boss" example — the real limits of situational agency – A frank conversation about privilege and situational agency – Angela's own Harvard cafeteria "you lead a charmed life" moment – Angela's riff on the Serenity Prayer for those who want to change what they can – Life is better in the "carpool lane" — doing anything with other people, per the American Time Use Survey – The unnerving trend: we spend nearly two more hours per day indoors than we used to – Angela's marriage vulnerability — the 2008-era breaking point (shared with permission) – The fix that turned it around: subtract hours, add mentors, add therapy, add team – Responding to critics of Grit — including the sociologist practically shaking with anger – Why the more powerful you get, the more you should actively seek out critics – How to actually build an advisory board when you don't already know the right people – Brian Grazer's "curiosity conversations" and the cold-email story that ended in a full-time job – What's Good — Angela on Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, Dan on HBO's Monsters of God Subscribe to watch more 10% Happier videos: https://www.youtube.com/tenpercenthappier Follow Dan Harris on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/ https://www.tiktok.com/@danbharris https://www.facebook.com/DanHarrisABC https://twitter.com/danbharris https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-91ba5716b/ 0:00:00 Beyond Grit — the outside game of success 0:03:00 What Angela means by "situation" (it's basically everything) 0:05:00 Self-control vs. grit — why willpower is fragile 0:06:00 The golden strategy: change your environment so impulses don't develop 0:08:00 The phone-placement study — the closer the phone, the lower the GPA 0:11:00 The "bad boss" example — the limits of situational agency 0:17:00 Privilege and agency — Angela's Harvard cafeteria story 0:22:00 The Serenity Prayer riff 0:31:00 Life is better in the carpool lane 0:34:00 The rise of solo time — Bowling Alone and the Time Use Survey 0:41:00 Angela's marriage breaking point during the 2008 financial crisis 0:45:00 The fix: subtract hours, add mentors, add therapy, add team 0:49:00 Responding to Grit's critics 0:59:00 Mentors and how to actually build an advisory board 1:02:00 Cold emails that work — curiosity conversations and the Colin story #10PercentHappier #AngelaDuckworth #Situated This episode is brought to you by BiOptimizers. Magnesium Breakthrough Advanced Ten features ten bioavailable forms of magnesium plus active vitamin B6 and ionic trace minerals to support absorption — their most complete formula yet for sleep, recovery, stress, and metabolic support. As always, talk to your doctor before adding any new supplement. Every order comes with a 365-day money-back guarantee. Head to https://www.bioptimizers.com/happier and use code HAPPIER for 15% off your order. This episode is brought to you by Notion. Notion is the AI workspace where your team's knowledge, projects, and agents all come together — docs, meetings, projects, and more in one connected system, with AI that has the context to help you do your best work. Learn more about how Notion can support your business at https://www.notion.com/happier. This episode is brought to you by Square. Square helps local businesses keep up and get ahead, whether you're starting fresh or scaling fast. Square's latest tools help you sell smarter, run faster, and stress less. Right now, listeners can get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://square.com/go/happier.