The Importance of Grit and Perseverance

As we're about to turn the corner on a year that has been so incredibly challenging for many of us, the time has almost come to turn our attention to what comes next, and yet again commit yourself to make good on a brand new set of new year's resolutions, carried by the conviction that this time will be different, as this time you will follow through. But will you? Well, that very much will depend on the amount of grit and perseverance you will be able to bring to your efforts. The following article explores what it really means to have grit, as well as offer some actionable tools that we can all use to cultivate the required perseverance within ourselves to accomplish our goals.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have likely seen or heard about the Netflix documentary “The Last Dance” that gives a behind-the-scenes look of basketball star Michael Jordan’s last season playing for the Chicago Bulls. Beyond how entertaining it is to watch an elite athlete perform at the top of his game, what struck me and I bet all those who watched it more than anything else, was Jordan’s seemingly endless drive to be the best at his craft. In fact, not only does his pursuit of excellence never waver, but he brings that level of intensity and desire to win to every aspect of his life, even a friendly card game, and expects the same level of commitment from all those around him as well.

As I’m sitting down to write this article, and finding it difficult at times to follow through on this and other projects, watching how Michael Jordan carried himself on and off the field (or the floor rather), I couldn’t help but to wonder: how could I cultivate that same drive and fire within me? Is that even possible, or is it an ability that you have to be born with?

The meaning of grit and how to cultivate it

As I started researching this topic, it didn’t take long before I came across the work of Angela Duckworth, who is widely recognized as the world’s foremost expert on grit and perseverance. Her work became widely known after she gave a Ted talk on the subject that was viewed more than a million times.

Angela Duckworth, the founder and CEO of the Character Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, has spent her career studying concepts such as self-control & grit to analyze how they might determine both academic and professional success.

She defines grit as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals”. On the face of it, the emphasis on long-term goals might seem a bit odd; after all, there are a whole lot of gritty people who don’t have the luxury to plan years in advance to accomplish their objective. This probably has to do with the fact that Duckworth’s research focused on exceptional performance and success that requires to be measured over an extended period of time in order to be properly assessed.

Here are a few of the ingredients that are important if you are to accomplish your goals, especially those that take more time to reach.

Passion

It stands to reason that in order to be truly great at something you need to be passionate about it or at the very least enjoy it. How else could we possibly put in the significant amount of time that excellence requires, which according to Duckworth’s and other research equals to 10,000 hours of practice?

Perseverance

If you’re going to stick with something for even half the amount of time mentioned above, whatever it is you’re pursuing better also have purpose. That’s where long-term goals come in, as they provide the context and framework that allow you to find the meaning and value of your long-term efforts, which in turn help cultivate the amount of drive, courage, passion and grit you’ll need to follow through over the long run.

Beyond purpose, perseverance also requires the ability to delay gratification in order to achieve long-term goals. This takes on even greater meaning when you feel discouraged and are facing obstacles on your way to success. In that moment, it’s good to remind yourself why you started on this journey in the first place.

A trick I’ve often used is to visualize me reaching my goal, is to try to imagine how it would make me feel to succeed. That’s why it’s so important to set a clear goal for yourself at the onset, as it can become something that captures your imagination and that you can hold onto when things inevitably get tough.

Another thing that can help you persevere is to take stock of what you’ve already accomplished along the way, and all the rewards that you already are receiving as a result. For example, the friendships you may have made in the pursuit of your endeavor, or the fact that you did better this week than the last.

Adopting a growth mindset

There are usually two ways to look at your own or someone else’s abilities: either you perceive people’s gifts as being something innate, that you’re born with and therefore cannot usually acquire over time. In short, it takes the view that you’re either good at something or you’re not. That is called the fixed mindset.

On the other hand, you can also consider people’s abilities and talents as things that grow over time, that can be perfected through experience, hard work and dedication. That mindset highlights the fact that who we are and what we can do is not set in stone from the outset, but rather that we are all works in progress who can always learn new skills and develop if we put our mind to it. That is called the growth mindset.

Speaking from my own personal experience, I’ve been very fortunate that when I was a kid and a lot of important decisions had to be made that would significantly impact my future, my parents, and specifically my mother, adopted a growth mindset towards me.

Having been born with cerebral palsy, I experienced quite some learning difficulties at the beginning of school; for example, when being asked to draw a line or identify a shape, I either was unable to see it or couldn’t execute it in the way I was asked to. The problems I had seeing lines and interpreting spaces had to do with the brain damage I incurred as a result of my premature birth.

And so, when so-called education specialists were assessing me in kindergarten, they told my mother in no uncertain terms that as a result of these difficulties, I’d never be able to follow mainstream education and that other options would be more appropriate. Fortunately for me, she never followed that advice and always believed in my potential. She was convinced I had the ability to thrive both academically and in life, provided that I’d receive the support I needed to overcome my challenges. Having gone to university and earning two Master degrees along the way, I will be forever grateful to my mother and all those who believed in me for adopting a growth mindset.

Giving a new meaning to failure

Taking on a growth mindset also means accepting that failure is a part of life. Part of that acceptance means learning to see failure not a something that defines you but rather just getting a different result than the one you’re after. A famous example of someone who took this to heart is Thomas Edison, who was asked after his so- manieth experiment ( that eventually led to the invention of the lightbulb) failed, why he still persisted. His answer: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Thomas Edison, commonly known as the 'inventor' of electricity was famous for his relentless perseverance in the face of daunting challenges.

How gritty are you?

A good way to find out where you stand in this regard is to ask yourself some of the following questions:

- Do you enjoy taking part in projects that may take years to complete?

- Are you currently working towards a very long-term goal?

- Is what you do every day connected to your deepest held values?

- Is there at least one subject or activity you never get tired of thinking about?

- How do you react to setbacks? Do they tend to paralyze you or do you keep on going regardless?

An important thing about grit is that it’s deeply personal and cannot be imposed on anyone. Nobody can make you pursue something if you don’t really want to. That said, there are ways in which you can encourage others to keep on pursuing their goals:

- Model it: if you feel passionate about something, let others know and wear your passion on your sleeve. When you fail, go out and let others know about your frustrations, but also let them know about what you learned from the experience. Highlight the fact that life is a marathon not a sprint.

- Value effort: when you see grit in someone, call attention and celebrate it. Praise passion and let the person know you appreciate and recognize how dedicated she is.

- Enable it: no one succeeds at something that takes a lot of effort and time entirely on his or her own. It takes family, teachers and friends to keep on encouraging us and holding us accountable when needed as we pursue our dreams.

That last point is perhaps the most important one of all, and yet often also the most underappreciated. After all, you can have all the grit in the world, but if you don’t have the right support system around you as you pursue your goals, you’ll have a pretty hard time succeeding, if at all. I for sure wouldn’t be here right now writing this piece without it. There’s an African proverb that says: it takes a village to raise a child. Now more than ever I’m sure the same applies to accomplishing our highest aspirations.