WHAT IS GRIT MENTALITY?
…and why does it matter?
In my years as an athlete and a business coach, I found that success comes down to GRIT. GRIT is cultivated by a mix of mental fitness tools that help you persevere and gain momentum on a daily basis so you can perform when it matters. Whether you’re born with an innate drive to achieve, or not, GRIT must be trained.
Why must GRIT be trained?
When you go do an athletic event such as a race or a game of golf, you can’t just show up and expect to win or even perform to your potential if you didn’t first practice. And when I say practice, I don’t mean just a handful of times.
Did you know that Kenyan marathoners sometimes spend 5 years training before they ever run a marathon? That is a long time to train hard without seeing any race results.
GRIT is the same. Your brain is like a muscle that needs to be trained over and over and over again. You didn’t develop your current thought patterns overnight. And you won’t retrain them overnight either. Science has shown that old neural pathways have to be shut off and the only way to do that is to create a new path and use it repeatedly. When you do that, the other pathway gets used less and less and soon your brain goes down the new pathway by habit. This is called neuroplasticity. Here’s a great article on the science behind it. The more you practice the different elements of GRIT, the better you’ll be at them.
While there are many great acronyms for GRIT, I chose this one because it aligns with both what I’ve experienced and what I’ve learned.
G is for Greatness
Greatness distinguishes you from those around you. To be great you must master your craft.
R is for Resilience
Resilience is the ability to withstand adversity. Not just that, you have to be able to bounce back and rise above.
I is for Intention
Without intentionality, you are just going through the motions. Intention is what takes you from laying bricks, to building a pyramid.
T is for Traction
Without traction, you’re going nowhere. Traction is where motion begins and possibilities are endless.
Take the Grade Your GRIT quiz!
Why GRIT Matters In Business
Angela Duckworth defines GRIT as “a combination of passion and perseverance for a singularly important goal” and says, “{GRIT} is the hallmark of high achievers in every domain.” Furthermore, through her scientific research, Angela has found that GRIT can grow.
The more I’ve studied mental fitness and GRIT, the more I realize it is exactly what business owners and executives need to thrive. It really does come down to perseverance. In today’s culture, that is something that is lost in our microwave, amazon delivery, door-dash generation.
Yet, it is something that anyone who does sports for even a couple of years practices daily. Because of that we can take lessons from the field, track or road, and apply them to other areas in life such as business.
Stay tuned as we unpack stories, lessons and scientific research in this blog about how GRIT can positively impact your life and business.
In a world where you can choose to be anything, #BeGritty.
