Grit
Every so often you hear a story that makes you stop and say “Huh, that’s interesting, I did not know that.”
Here’s one for you. It has been widely quoted that in 1899, the commissioner of the United States Patient Office, Charles H. Duell stated that “everything that can be invented has been invented.” While that may sound outrageous to us today, if you consider that from 1860 to 1890, 440,000 US patents were issued, which sure seems like a lot to me, especially in that time, I guess at some point you could conclude that there is nothing left to invent. On the other hand, because we know that in 2022 alone, 382,559 US patients were issued, it’s obvious that Mr. Duell, assuming he indeed made this statement, was incorrect.
The theme of what I’m trying to say here is that there is a lot going on around us that we don’t even know, or care about, that affects us. Mr. Duell was, obviously, unaware in 1899 that a lot of research and work was going on to invent new things. Had he known that he would not have made the statement he supposedly did. Here is what I mean. See if you can relate and I’ll drive the point home in a little bit.
Depending upon how old you are, when you were a child you probably heard your mother tell you “Put your hat on”, “wear your gloves”, “put your shoes on”, “study hard”, “work hard”, “be respectful”, “eat your vegetables”, “wash your hands,” “study hard at school today.” I don’t know about you, but when I was a child, I had no need for shoes, I hated hats and who had time to wash their hands, anyway? School? The best parts about school were recess, lunch, and going home. But the fact is, Mom was right. We never knew how she knew these things, but at some point in our lives, we learned that if you step on sharp things barefooted you cut your feet, most of your body heat escapes from your head, washing your hands kills germs and prevents diseases, and studying hard pays off in the long run.
I previously told you that being positive and believing you can are part of the 20% of activities you can take that will make up the bulk of your success. I believe this with all my heart. Not only that, I have the experience to know it’s true. Believing you can and being positive will get you out of the starting gate and are essential traits for success. And when things are going well, it’s easy to believe you can and be positive all the time. But someday, things will not go well, there will be problems. You will get tired, discouraged, and feel defeated. It’s at this time you must call up another important trait. It’s known by various names and terms such as perseverance, courage, resolve, passion, firmness of character, indomitable spirit, or tenacity. But the simplest definition, and the one I can relate to most is simply, grit.
The importance of grit
Before we get into defining grit more, let’s talk about what grit is not. Because I was raised in the south (Virginia) and spent time at my grandmother’s on my mother’s side in Alabama, I heard the term grit more often than some. When I was young, grit was one of two things: Something made of corn you ate for breakfast (or used to fix potholes in the street, LOL) and considered a simple food that poor people ate, or someone considered a hick or uneducated. “Boy, he sure is a grit.” I’m not telling you it was right; I’m just telling you the way it was in the 1960s and 1970s in the South.
But if someone “had” grit, as opposed to eating or being one, well, then, you knew that too, and this is another definition of grit that I never knew when I was young. Like Mr. Duell, we could all be excused for not knowing the importance of grit, like the importance of wearing a hat, because we may never have known exactly what it was or why it is important. Frankly, it’s also likely no one ever taught us what grit is. The excuse of not knowing about grit no longer applies. In 2016, Angela Duckworth, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania published a book entitled “Grit, The Power of Passion and Perseverance.” (Note 1) When I bought and read this book, it was truly an “Aha!” moment for me. Suddenly, all the things I thought to be true were proven and explained by years of research by Dr. Duckworth. Dr. Duckworth not only tells us but proves, the secret to outstanding achievement. It’s not talent, it’s a special blend of passion and persistence she calls grit. She proves that grit can be learned and practiced by anyone. Yes, even you.
How much grit do you have? Well, let’s find out!
How much grit do you have? Well, before you say, “I don’t know”, why don’t you find out? One of the resources that Dr. Duckworth provides us is what she calls “The Grit Scale.” (Note 2) You can take the grit test right now. Just click on the link in Note 2. Go ahead and take that test. Be honest with yourself because if you are not, the only one you are cheating is yourself. When you are done, go buy and read the book. It will be one of the best investments in yourself you have ever made. Then, make a commitment to put into action the things you need to be doing. Taking the Afterburner Success Partners course is a great first step in that journey.
You see, as you become more educated about achieving dreams, about success, about living your best life, you find that all the excuses you make are just that, excuses. No matter your background, your history, your education, or lack of it, discrimination, whatever, can be boiled down to figuring out the 20% of things you must do to overcome all the things “holding you back.” The only thing holding you back and preventing you from achieving your dreams is you. Believing you can, thinking positively, and having grit are a few of the most important things you can do.
Before we end, I’d like to give you a real-life example of grit in action. There are many examples of people and organizations that exhibit grit. Two examples that I like to use are sports and the military. If you want to win in sports, you must outlast the other person, or team, and make fewer mistakes. If you want to win in war, indeed if you don’t want to die, you must exhibit a level of determination and grit above your opponent.
The Clemson women’s soccer team used something called the beep test (Note 3) to weed out players who did not have enough determination to play when the going got tough. The beep test consists of a series of short sprints that are run progressively faster to determine who has the physical and mental strength to complete it. In short, who has enough grit. Click the link on Note 3 to learn more.
As we discussed in a previous post, concentrating your efforts on the 20% of things that yield the highest return is key to your success. It does not matter what you do, for business or pleasure if you want to be effective and efficient you must work on the things that yield the biggest bang for the buck. Grit is right up at the top of those things you must do and have. There’s an old saying that goes something like this “You must do the right things right.”
I think I’ve said enough about grit and its importance to your success. That’s all for today.
What’s in it for Me
You want to achieve your dreams. You want to live your best life. You are learning that concentrated effort, over a long time in good times and bad, and having grit is a key to being successful. Do you have grit? It may not be visible now, but if you summon it, you will find you indeed have it!
Call to Action
Open up the grit scale. Take the test and measure how you do. What do you think? What do you need to do? No, I mean, really, what do you need to do? You see, as you read these posts, I often provide you with valuable information that can be helpful in your quest to achieve your dreams and live your best life. Assuming you just finished taking the grit test and evaluated your score, what did you say to yourself? Did you say, “I’m perfect, already living my dream!” Did you say “meh. Nothing to see or for me to do here.” Or did you say, “Wow, this is great information, and I’m going to do something with it!” Your answer to the question will tell you something, won’t it?
Recommended Resources
Buy and read the book Grit, the Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth (Note 1).
Up Next
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
Grit, the Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth: https://amzn.to/4h3aTgl
The Grit Scale: https://angeladuckworth.com/grit-scale/
The beep test:https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=E0Cd0Zvwj4w&autoplay=1&rel=0&showinfo=0