GRIT: THE POWER OF PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE

I’ve seen this topic around a few times and I kept wondering what’s so special about grit. There’s been some research around this topic that simply proves success is not a function of talent as much as it is of effort. Apparently, grit can be worth much more than talent and can set you up for great success.

This means even though we place so much emphasis on talent, anyone passionate enough and willing to put in the intentional effort can get it done as effectively or even be more successful in any endeavour as someone who is considered naturally talented.

As Angela Duckworth puts it, grit is “passion and sustained persistence applied toward long-term achievement, with no particular concern for rewards or recognition along the way. It combines resilience, ambition, and self-control in the pursuit of goals…”

A person who has grit is willing to be courageous, commit to a set purpose and show the strength of character in following through no matter how difficult the road gets. This way they can get through the hard part of sticking with something until they become successful at it.

If we realise that we can achieve anything- learn anything, become an expert in anything, be successful in any field by being gritty, then we can no longer blame the lack of natural talent for our failure to do the work we should be doing.

We can, in fact, take this as an encouragement to keep doing what we do even if we are not yet seeing results, trusting that we are growing daily, one step at a time, and knowing that we can attain the same levels of success, and higher, than those who seem more talented than we are.

This reiterates the fact that excellence in any field can be well dependent on hard work and diligence, no matter the skill levels we start with.

How Do I Develop Grit?

*Develop a Fascination: Be truly interested in whatever it is you’re doing, whether it is serving others or studying a course in the university or a side job you’re earning from. Even if you were forced to begin with, go look for understanding and develop motivation to continue with true satisfaction and joy.

*Daily Improvement: Put in deliberate reminders to do what matters every single day. If something is a top priority to you, you should think about it every day. If it requires practice, put in the practice as often as possible, knowing that growth is not just attainable, but certain with consistent and quality effort.

*Greater Purpose: Understand how your pursuits could be beneficial to others. For example, being a Christian and investing in kingdom matters is being hopeful that your efforts are achieving something greater than yourself- and that will motivate you to keep doing what you’re doing.

*Growth Mindset: You can now learn to stick to your pursuits since you know your abilities are not fixed. You can learn. You can improve. You can grow. You can record tangible results. And you know you’re not measuring success only by results, but also by tangible improvements in skill and knowledge.

How Should I Direct My Efforts?

I think the question now should be, “What does success mean to me?” To many people, success is money, fame, popularity, freedom and power. To others, success is impact, influence, integrity and legacy- even though these two are really not always mutually exclusive.

Determine what success means to you in spirituality, academics, business- and in life as a whole and work towards it intentionally. You now know that success is well within reach, with some intentional effort.

I believe people should regularly sit down and think (like a friend of mine will always say)- maybe even with a pen and paper. Determine what matters to you and if you’re expending your (potentially powerful) effort in the right direction.

When you wake up everyday, do you see a purpose for each activity you engage in? If not, reanalyse your efforts and decide to live mindfully- intentionally taking steps towards the life you envision.

Grit is not just determination, but effort focused in the most important directions. Get that sheet of paper. Write down the five most important things to you right now and analyse if you’re living your everyday life in the light of this.

Are you just living in the motions? Accepting any and every invitation, taking in any and every opinion, spreading your efforts thin in several directions?

Or are you mindful of the future (and eternity), knowing that your efforts matter and are capable of achieving great things?

Every time I write these posts, I also look inward and analyse things. Maybe this will be a wake-up call to both of us- me and you- to do better and to make our days count for the things that really matter.