With each passing day, the COVID-19 crisis continues to upend the daily lives and routines of millions of people. Amid anxieties about the health of family and friends, people have had to adjust to working from home, with kitchen tables doubling as Zoom-based conference rooms, or not working at all.

Many have been hit hard by the rapid decline of the economy, which in the past month has seen nearly 10 million people apply for unemployment benefits.

Yet, says Professor Adam Galinsky, though it might be difficult to comprehend at the moment, there are opportunities to work on professional passions and personal growth during the crisis.

Galinsky, the Vikram S. Pandit Professor of Business and chair of the Management Division, co-authored a 2018 paper that redefined what we think of as “grit.” Galinsky’s research found that grit is composed of two components. First is perseverance…