GRIT

 

Time and time again, teachers, professors and anyone else in the teaching professions will tell you that intelligence is not the only difference between their best and worst students. Increasingly, psychologists are finding that the one characteristic that is emerging as a significant predictor of success is not social intelligence, or good looks, or physical health, or human intelligence. It is grit. It has been said that grit is living life like it is a marathon, not a sprint. But what is grit? And how can it be nurtured?

Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is all about having the stamina for the long haul. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality.

The common characteristics of grit listed below can make things clearer. How do you measure up?

Stay strong in the face of pain, fear or grief.

People often underestimate just how courageous and resilient they can be. Every aspect of life requires a little bit of courage. A child needs the courage to face the first day of school, and a student needs the courage to step out into the world after graduation.

Similarly, entrepreneurs and business owners need the courage to take risks with their daily activities, to make investments and introduce new products and services. They have to overcome the fear of failure and find it in themselves to stand up if a failed venture knocks them off their feet.

Be meticulous, detail-oriented and careful.

Conscientiousness requires patience and commitment and is a significant characteristic of grit. People who are conscientious try their best to avoid mistakes and never jump hastily into commitments. While courage is the ability to make mistakes and face failure, conscientiousness is the capacity to work hard to avoid failures and errors in the first place.

You will notice that people who possess true grit do not shy away from hard work. Conscientious people are also quite principled and would not take shortcuts if they have to compromise their values and ethics. 

Stay confident, committed and optimistic.

It is easy to dismiss resilient individuals as stubborn. They stay on their path and are determined to succeed despite all odds. They are confident in their ability to make sacrifices, put in the effort and overcome failures to reach their goals.

Entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals need to be resilient to survive in a cutthroat business environment. Resilience can help you withstand the pressure of competition and even enjoy the challenges it presents. 

Be outstanding or extremely good.

People with grit will always strive to achieve excellence rather that focus on perfection. While perfection focuses on the result of your efforts, excellence is more concerned with how you get there. Excellence is a forgiving concept and only asks you to give your all to a particular task.

If you fail despite your best efforts, you will learn from your mistakes and move on. If you succeed, you have achieved the best result possible. Think of excellence as progress vs. perfection. It is better to start and learn with a bad product, then to have never started at all.

Stay put in difficult situations to achieve long-term goals.

You would not succeed in life if you do not remain on a path you have chosen, regardless of how difficult and challenging the road becomes. Most people find it difficult to keep up the hard work and want quick rewards. Long-term goals require time, patience, sacrifices and effort and you need to have the endurance to stay on the path. 

All of these characteristics of grit will help you succeed in your personal and professional life. If you do not yet possess these characteristics, life will happen and you will either develop grit or live a life of helplessness. 

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