With nearly 25 million views, Angela Duckworth has one of the most watched Ted talks of all time, all centered on the concept of grit. There is a commonly held belief in this day and age that less and less people have grit. We quit too easily. We give up when times get tough. We complain. We make excuses. Do you have grit? To find out, first you must understand what goes into being a "gritty" person. Grit has three key ingredients:
Ingredient 1: Courage. Being courageous means fully committing to something despite knowing that failure will be a part of that process. Failure isn't viewed as a disruption on the path towards success, rather, it is reveled because courageous people know the growth that occurs from failing.
Ingredient 2: Resilience. Being resilient means believing everything will be alright in the end and if it isn’t alright right now, it is not the end.
Ingredient 3: Prefer Progress. People with grit prefer progress over perfection. They see perfection as a culmination of other people's standards placed on their life. Instead they prefer making small improvements, day by day, that culminate in measurable results over time.
The world needs people with less quit and more grit.
Action
Start an activity you know will fail at. This could be as simple as learning how to juggle or baking something beyond your skill level.
Question
What is your best failure in life?
Quote
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
- Robert Frost