Definition of GRIT – courage and resolve; strength of character.

Recently, I heard an interview with author Angela Duckworth about her new book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” and she put forth two ideas: one, that that grit, a person’s perseverance and passion, is among one of the most important predictors of success and that we all have the power to increase our inner grit.

Her interview definitely struck a chord with me in that I frequently work with my clients about overcoming fear and anxiety by tapping into courage (grit) and that we all have the capacity to change.

I also just recently re-watched the movie “The Martian” and there was a scene that also spoke about grit. In the film, there is a scene where the main character talks about how he had to persevere and problem-solve in order to keep going. Here is the excerpt of that scene:

“…everything is going to go south on you and you are going to say this is it; this is how I end. Now you can either except that or you can get to work. That’s all it is. You just begin. You do the math. You solve one problem. Then you solve the next one. And then the next. And if you solve enough problems, you get to come home.”

Between these two media reminders of the importance of grit, I wanted to write a short blog about how we can all tap into our own inner grit and work hard to meet our goals.

Clients often come to me because they are experiencing a lack of grit in some area of their life and want to learn some tools and skills. With online therapy, I am able to help clients find and nurture that inner grit.

We all feel discouraged at times and maybe just want to sit down and give up. It can be tempting, and sometimes we do need to sit down to rest, but we must remember to get back up and keep trying.

I often use the analogy of a tunnel when talking about fear and courage. If we are stuck in the middle of a tunnel and it’s pitch black at both ends, we are going to experience fear. We can’t turn back to where we left and we can’t yet see the end to where we want to go. At this point, we need to find courage to take one step forward, overcome the unknown of what we might find at the next step, and problem-solve for the next step.

When we tap into our perseverance and passion, we can feel inspired and encouraged that we will meet our goals and be successful. We know that no matter the outcome we have tried our best and that we have certainly moved forward in some way and haven’t stayed stuck.

The next time you feel like giving up remember the importance of grit!