More on Grit

"Don't complain, just work harder" Randy Pausch

After receiving lots of support and encouragement from my good friends, I was reminded that I did indeed already have grit, and that means I don’t have to grow it after all!  Whew that’s a relief!  I suspect the same is true for all of us…any time we think about our successes, overcoming adversity and crossing the goal line; we can look back and see that it did require grit!

 So then, I guess the question takes a new turn…  if we possess grit already, then why don’t we automatically pull it out of our holster when we’re facing a new challenge? Or, is it like a balloon that when we don’t blow air into it, lays stagnate, unimpressive, and deflated? 

 A friend of mine sent me an interesting article written about the continuing research being done by Angela Lee Duckworth on this topic of kids and grit. (see attached article below)

One paragraph reads, “How do you increase grit and self-control, not just in children but also in teachers and people in general, beyond just exhorting them to grin and bear it? Angela cites a current "big study" in and around Philadelphia in which randomly assigned students are asked to change their house or their bedroom in some way that would make studying easier. It could be as simple as having a better light in the room or putting their cell phones on a faraway shelf. .."Even young children know these tricks," Angela says, "but adults sometimes forget them."

 Ohhhh…so we sometimes forget about our grit.  Perhaps it’s more like something we pack away in our hope chests and lose track of.  If that’s the case then, it’s simple….we just need to dig it out, blow it off, and  use it to help us trudge through the sludge; tolerate the boredom; and ignore the distractions; Like when we’re trying to loose weight, get fit, starting a new business, searching for a new career, or trying to save money. 

 In my last week’s blog; I shared that my sisters came for a visit.  When we were in the midst of one of our therapeutic talk sessions on the topic of grit, one of my sisters jumped out of her chair, grabbed her hair and told us she was having a true moment of understanding. She explained that she had been focused on looking far out towards her goal, trying to find her purpose in her life as if it were a pot at the end of a rainbow…but instead of trying to grab onto that ephemeral prize, she needed to be focusing on the tasks of today. What can I do today? “That’s why I’m always feeling frustrated,” she admitted, “ And why it seems like it’s too hard to get to my goal.  Instead, I need to be thinking about what I need to be doing today….not worry about the result….just do the work today.  Do my due diligence.”

 In the article I spoke of earlier it gave an example of how they are teaching diligence. “ Students are positioned in front of a split computer screen. On the left side is some academic lesson: repetitive arithmetic, spatial orientation, anything boring. On the right are "distractors": games, music videos, great moments in sports. They're told that schoolwork isn't always fun but that working on the left screen will be like doing academic calisthenics to become stronger students.

They can take a break and go over to the right screen anytime they want; they can go back and forth. Whatever they decide is fine. The research assumption is that time spent on the boring screen will correlate to degree of success down the road—suggesting that, no matter the field or endeavor, no matter how smart and talented people may be, it will be tolerance for boredom that more reliably will see them through.”

Is there anyone else out there having an ‘aha’ moment?  So instead of trying to figure out our passion and what we should be doing in our lives to become happy, rich, famous and free…we need to get our heads out of the clouds, break down those big dreams and get started on today’s ‘to-do’ list.  Just because it’s not fun, sexy, captivating, titillating or an endorphin rush; it doesn’t mean it won’t get us to our goal. In fact….it is exactly what will get us there! Kind of sounds like we should be taking small steps, doesn’t it?

 If I’ve piqued your interest on this topic of Grit ,I suggest you read the attached National Geographic article written by Marguerite Del Giudice; or tune into the TED Talk and listen to Angela Lee Duckworth share about her research on grit.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141015-angela-duckworth-success-grit-psychology-self-control-science-nginnovators/ 

http://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit