Grit
“You cannot talk about grit—you have to embody it. You cannot talk about faith—you have to live it. You cannot talk about the desert—you have to cross it.”
Dr. Dragos Bratasanu
I don’t care how accomplished you are, there is not one human on this earth that has realized their full potential. We all have something inside of us that is untapped. We have skills, talents, and gifts just waiting to be brought forth. There are many talents that come naturally to us, that don’t take much effort to employ and utilize to reach goals. I think that the most meaningful gifts that leave the most lasting impact are the ones that make you the most uncomfortable. They are the ones that you have to scratch and claw for, day in and day out, with small incremental progress for a long period of time.
Without grit, your talent is just untapped potential.
Without grit, your skill is just something you could’ve done, but never did.
Without grit, you will be left with what-ifs and suppositions.
If you take a second to look, the world is full of amazing perseverance stories that can inspire you to achieve more. There is more than likely someone in your family or friend circle that has gone through hell and back and lived to tell about it. I am constantly inspired by my father and grandfather. My dad was called to serve his country after almost 20 years in the Army reserves, thinking he was going overseas to build roads, bridges, and water lines. He ended up, as a man in his late 30’s on the frontline of some intense combat for over a year. In the same year, my grandfather suffered from catastrophic heart failure, had a heart transplant, was dead on the table multiple times, and lost both of his legs. 20 years later he has defied the odds and is still living an independent life, chasing great-grandkids around and climbing the occasional ladder (even though we advise against it). Both of these men have put life into perspective for me on a very deep level.
Grit can come in many forms. It doesn’t have to be combat experience or amazing physical accomplishments. Quite simply it is the ability to maintain passion and perseverance for long-term goals greater than yourself. Grit involves shrugging off discouragement over months and years despite the inevitable adversity, failure, and plateaus in progress.
How do you cultivate a gritty mindset?
You cannot have grit unless you have well-defined, high-order goals.
I don’t think you can possess grit just for the sake of being gritty. You have to have high-order goals that define who you are as a person and how you want to make an impact before your time on this earth is over. A very clear sense of why you are doing what you are doing, and how it will define you is the best way to stay consistent and undeterred. A clear sense and vision will help you get back up even after failing 100 times.
Surround yourself with “gritty” people.
The people around you have a huge influence on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We already established that all of us know gritty individuals. When you spend enough time with a particular group of people, the way they do things becomes the way you do things. Their norms and values will rub off on you and become your new standard.
Embrace your imperfections.
Being gritty doesn't mean that you are impervious to failure and pretending everything is okay. In fact, when you look at healthy, successful, and giving people, they are very self-aware. They are able to understand their weaknesses and faults better than most people. The ability to be humble enough to constantly reflect on your downfalls is gritty in itself.
