When you google “Perseverance and Passion” ALL of your
searches will return the definition for “grit”. I apparently live under a rock,
which is why I love doing these character challenges, it’s not only an
education on myself but an education on many new terms/studies/facts.
You guys probably already know about Angela Duckworth and
her TED talk because YOU don’t live under rocks! But she conducted research on
kids and adolescence regarding their intelligence levels/ perseverance/ etc.… I
don’t have kids yet so I don’t really care yet (just keeping it real) but I
have dog eared it and will return to it, swear!
Anyway, grit.. defined by Duckworth “perseverance and
passion for long-term goals.” She also states that the essence of grit
remains elusive (see, told you there’s no ONE way to build perseverance)
I don’t really like the word itself, grit… I get a mental picture
of someone clamping their jaws down and causing a gritting sound. Yikes.
And you know how we talked about resiliency (buoyancy) is a
super important component to perseverance? Andrew Zolli has a book about it and
I like that he stresses the importance on CREATIVITY to resiliency! A
connection I had made in my subconscious but when reading it, the lightbulb
definitely went off. I have found this to be very true in my own life. I get
knocked to the ground and I don’t want to keep getting back up in the same
manner time after time; it’s so important to be creative in your approach. Stay
committed to the goal but stay flexible, stay creative. And as you already
know, stay HAPPY. If it’s making you severely unhappy, it probably isn’t worth
it.
THIS quote taken from an article on Forbes is everythangggg
“…resilience is the powering mechanism that draws your head
up, moves you forward, and helps you persevere despite whatever obstacles you
face along the way. In other words, gritty people believe, “everything
will be alright in the end, and if it is not alright, it is not the end.”
Another factor for grit is an attitude of excellence. No,
not perfection. There is no such thing as perfection unless you are a prodigy
or a professional athlete and honestly, neither of those will be reading this
blog… excellence is not an endgame. Be awesome ever day, don't bother with perfect.
Set your mind right. Have courage. Be happy. It’s all right
there at your fingertips. HAVE GRIT.
XOX
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