The culture of grit

All people are born winners.  Yes, you won your sperm race. The real question is whether you can develop your tremendous potential by hard work, discipline and grit. In the end, those are the people who will be most successful.

In her best-selling book, “Grit”, Angela Duckworth defines it as a combination of passion and perseverance. The author found that high achievers in any field of endeavor have one thing in common: grit. So what is grit? Ms. Duckworth says: “Grit is about holding the same top-level goal for a very long time.”

The consistency of effort and practice over a long period time is the main ingredient for success. What counts in the long run is the perseverance, even more than passion and natural talent. There is no shortcuts to excellence and real expertise, it takes purpose, practice and perseverance, hence a lot of time.

High performers make deliberate practice into an enjoyable habit. If you want to be successful, you need to embrace challenge and hard work rather than fear or hate it.  Following through obstacles and challenges in life teaches you powerful and transferable skills and develops your resilience.

To be gritty, is first of all to show up. To be gritty is to hold fast to your purpose, vison and passion. To be gritty to hold fast to a specific and meaningful goal. To be gritty is to persevere in face of adversity, days after weeks after years.

Whether you realize it or not, the culture you identified with shapes every aspect of your life. So develop a habit and culture of grit. Choose friends who are gritty and follow gritty leaders. If there are none around you, create your own gritty culture. It is the culture of grit that truly helps you achieve your potential and success in life.

How gritty are you? What are you doing to improve your grit?