Grit
I recently finished reading an excellent book called “Grit: Why passion and resilience are the secrets to success” by Angela Duckworth. It’s a brilliant read and I highly recommend it. Years of research have gone into this project and the author makes her psychological conclusions very accessible to the reader.
The concept of the book is based on “grit” (you probably guessed that though). This is one’s ability to dig into tasks/skills/projects and not be put off by the massive setbacks and challenges you encounter along the way. Being able to deal with failure and move on regardless is the key idea here. We all respond differently to the difficulties we encounter and “grit” is this characteristic.
The author has created a “grit scale” that can determine how “gritty” you are. This was great fun to do and I really enjoyed exploring where I sat on the scale. I actually scored quite highly, which my ego lapped up like a thirsty kitten. The ego is funny, isn’t it! There is still room to improve though and I can clearly see what areas I need to put more of my energy into. I will therefore endeavour to focus on what I can do to become more gritty… Cue dramatic music and a myriad of new challenges.
The idea that you can cultivate “grit” is something that is explored in the book. By having several projects that you actually commit to over a long period of time (two years or more), you can actually start to increase your levels of “grit”. This will be noticeable in other areas of your life as this “grit” quality is infectious. I can certainly see how this has happened in my own life since starting my “Do Things That Challenge You” project. My early morning starts, cold showers, constant writing, running and climbing have all helped me to cultivate this characteristic. I’ve noticed how this has affected many different areas in my personal and professional life (all in positive ways) and I definitely feel more long-term focused.
I honestly believe that getting a high score on the grit scale is because of this project (writing my book/starting this blog etc). Lots of the things I’ve been doing and exploring have required me to alter my approach to challenges and difficulties. This has been achieved through a combination of reading tons of books and then going out and scaring/challenging myself. I don’t think I would have scored so highly before I started to challenge my mindset and change my ways. This is a real validation for me that the process of pushing myself out of my comfort zone has made a huge difference to how I interact with the world around me.
Anyway, enough about me! What about you? How do you think you would do on the “grit scale”?Are you good at seeing projects through? How do you respond to challenges encountered along the way? What’s your relationship with failure like? Do you get upset and quit, or are you a fighter? All of these questions are really useful when learning about our strengths and weaknesses. Knowing that “grit” exists is really helpful as it’s something we can actively seek to cultivate.
“Grit” is a quality that can grow. I truly believe that by embarking on challenges and leaving our comfort zones, we can become “grittier” individuals. But don’t just take my word for it… The science and research in the book “Grit” will support this claim and if you like the idea of finding where you sit on the “grit scale” I highly recommend that you explore Angela Duckworth’s wonderful book.
Interestingly, I was chatting to someone at work about “Grit” when they began emphatically nodding in agreement and excitement. They absolutely loved the idea of the book and had actually read the first couple of chapters. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the “grit” to finish the book and had left it on the side for the last six months. We both laughed hard at the irony of this. Brilliant!
“Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.”