Grit is Key to Achievement!

Quote:

“Grit in a word is stamina.  But it is not just stamina in your effort.

It is also stamina in your direction, stamina in your interests.”

~Angela Duckworth

Scripture:

Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you

fall into various trials.  Be assured that the testing of your faith

produces endurance.

~James 1:2-3

Perspective:

Grit is perseverance and passion over time, toward long-term goals.  Perseverance is working hard and bouncing back from setbacks, it is the refusal to give up.  Passion is staying focused on consistent goals over time; psychologist and grit expert, Angela Duckworth, says it is the more difficult of the two parts.  Remember the tortoise and the hare?  The tortoise won because he was consistent all the way to the finish line, although the hare had more intensity when they started the race and was sure he would win because of that.  We must use grit to fight our way through those times when we are confused or frustrated, when we find our self uncomfortably in the discomfort zone, for that is where growth happens.  Success at anything is not a straight line.  To reach our goals we must battle periods of boredom, disappointment, and those inevitable, yet unpredictable challenges along the way. 

We must view life, and all the trials that we face in life, as a marathon not a sprint.  We must acknowledge and be open to the lessons in the discomfort and push with rugged determination through those in order to grow from each.  We must take the time to learn from our obstacles and struggles, not simply view them as something meaningless that is in our way and making our life hard.  Just like mistakes, they are rich learning opportunities.  As Romans 5:3-4 tells us, endurance comes from suffering and produces character, that character then produces hope.  Hope for the future is a necessary part of life because life is NOT easy!  Hope means, regardless what we are going through, we look forward to a better outcome and life in the future, it makes tough situations more bearable, and it motivates us to take steps toward a better future.  Hope allows us to approach problems with a solution-focused mindset, thus allowing us to get closer to our goals until we finally accomplish each.  Without hope, it is easy to see challenges as a reason to quit and, each run-in with failure as proof that we have no control over our life, as a reassurance of our hopelessness.  In study after study, both grit and hope are predictors of future success at anything.

Our ability to learn and grow comes from seeing our ability to do so as something that is NOT fixed but rather something that changes with our effort.  The brain changes and grows based on our response to challenges, in response to what we do with those challenges.  If we believe in and hold the Growth Mindset, we are much more likely to persevere.  Those who do not see their intelligence and talents as fixed, do not see failure as a permanent condition but rather as one to learn from.  We need to be ok with being wrong, we need to be willing to learn lessons from our mistakes and be willing to start over.  The grittier we are, the more likely we are to stick with something for the long-haul, despite the obstacles we face; grit gives us the perseverance and passion to follow through to completion, a crucial life skill.  Grittiness is unrelated to intelligence or talent.

In the Bible, grit is referred to as endurance.  Endurance is defined as the power of bearing pain or hardships, it is the strength to continue despite fatigue, stress, or any other adverse condition.  However, it is more than putting up with  adversity, it involves our mind and our heart, the way we react  to adversity.  It involves the growth we do while forging forward, with hope, toward the goal, toward God’s will, despite the pain and struggle involved.  Jesus is the perfect example of endurance for humanity and we too must endure due to His unending and unconditional love for us, as well as our love for and desire to please Him.  That being said, Christians know that the Growth Mindset is not the only thing that makes us gritty, feeding our faith will also build our endurance.  There are many things we struggle to do alone, yet when we rely on God’s strength, we are able to endure anything AND come out of that valley stronger than ever before.  Endurance then has two parts, a natural and a supernatural part.  Just like life in general, it involves doing the best we can at all we are able to do and then trusting God for what only He can do, the supernatural part.

Life Application:

Part One:  Take time to contemplate your habits and patterns in life.  Evaluate how you handle trials and setbacks.  Have past challenges caused you to quit, to give up on ideas and goals OR have they propelled you to learn new strategies, to put in continuous effort, and to practice more fervently than ever?  By having a greater self-awareness, you are better able to learn, grow, and change in a positive direction, to begin accomplishing things you struggled with in the past.  Researchers are in the early stages of understanding what makes someone grittier, but they do know that a Growth Mindset is one of those things.  It is very empowering to know that we have the ability to cause our brain to grow stronger like a muscle; take advantage of that control you have!  Go to the Foundation tab at the top of my Home Page and read my article on the Growth Mindset  and on Neuroplasticity  for a better understanding of what YOU can control.  Then, while you are there, you can assess your strengths, weaknesses, and values.  Self-awareness is essential to our growth.

Part Two:  Feed your faith, help it to grow every step of the way in your life journey!  Devote time to prayer and reading God’s Word.  Listen to sermons throughout the week, Sunday is just not enough if you are serious about your growth as a Christ-follower.  Listen to worship music, sing along as if no one is watching, giving God the praise He so deserves.  Then, trust Him, trust His will and His perfect timing in your life and in the world.