Got Grit?  Yes, of course I Got Grit!

I like to think I possess a “never give up” attitude.  Yet, there are times when I bailed on my dream, have not persevered or had the passion to see a project through to the end.  I believe that I have the power to choose grit and can cultivate it.  In fact, I have the power to get back up from a failure and reinvent myself.  I have a lifetime of proof.

Let me share with you how to build GRIT!

Did you know you can choose your feelings?  

Let me share a concept that I’ve recently learned.

The human experience is a balance of the positive and the negative.   Accepting this fact allows for the negative without adding to it.  Time spent avoiding negative emotions and experiences, limits access to the power some negative emotions carry.  

For example, courage is an honorable trait that propels us to do hard things, but is an uncomfortable emotion.  The definition of Courage is – mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.  Wouldn’t it be great to be courageous in the face of obstacles without enduring fear or perseverance?  

Grit is failing forward

I have been talking about failing forward the past few weeks in an attempt to make failure more acceptable.  Failure is the uncomfortable balance to success and a necessary step in growth.  No one wants to choose failure.  Accepting it as a part of the success experience prevents adding shame, embarrassment, inadequacy, etc. to the experience.  

Once this concept is understood,  the choice is yours.  Will you intentionally think thoughts that produce the feelings required to succeed in life?  It’s worth noting that some emotions are simply negative indulgent emotions that keep us from success.  Choosing confusion, doubt or worry never moves the needle.  Choosing to walk through fear toward success is productive.  Choosing overwhelm in the face of fear keeps you stuck.  Do you see the difference?

I choose GRIT…

I have decided to become the person of my dreams.  Oh my!  2020 is going to be EPIC!  First of all, I turn 50 in March.  I don’t hate turning 50 years young.  It’s time to buckle down and do the things I’ve always dreamed of doing and being.

I made a list of emotions that I want to cultivate.  I want to be tenacious, capable, genuine, authentic, connected and creative.  

When I made the list of traits I think are important for my success, I realized that most of them have a negative connotation to them.  I want to be tenacious.  Well, that requires me to do something bold.  I want to feel capable.  Can’t feel capable sitting on the couch.  I want to be genuine and authentic, but desperately want to fit in.  I want to feel connected, but often find myself not inviting someone to coffee.  Being creative, a truly positive emotion, is my happy place.  

Recently I added gritty to my list of traits I want to be.  In fact, I am starting to see that GRIT needs to be my word for 2020.  I believe grit allows me to stay committed to the uncomfortable feelings necessary for success.  Being gritty means that I will have both passion and perseverance.

What is grit?

Grit as defined by Angela Duckworth is the power of passion and perseverance. 

“Our potential is one thing, what we do with it is another.” ~Angela Duckworth

Angela has spent her life studying grit.  You can read more about her journey in her book GRIT The Power of Passion and Perseverance or find her TedTalk on YouTube.  In her Preface she writes, “I won’t just have a job; I’ll have a calling.  I’ll challenge myself every day.  When I get knocked down, I’ll get back up.  I may not be the smartest person in the room, but I’ll strive to be the grittiest.”   

Wow!  Angela personifies grit!  The willingness to get back up from a blow, to work harder, to face fear, to embrace a calling… you get the idea.  Fail forward.  

Will Smith explains grit this way,

“The only thing that I see is distinctly different about me is: I’m not afraid to die on the treadmill.   I will not be outworked, period.  You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me.  You might be all those things.  You got it on me in nine categories.  But if we get on the treadmill together, there’s two things:  You’re getting off first, or I’m going to die.  It’s really that simple.”

Angela breaks grit down two factors, passion and perseverance.  “Grit is about working on something you care about so much you’re willing to stay loyal to it.”  There are no shortcuts.  It’s about falling in love with what you do and staying in love with it.  

Three steps to build GRIT… choose your feelings

Can you see yourself choosing grit?  It is very similar to choosing to fail forward.    

I’m not suggesting that everyone should choose grit.

I am suggesting that being intentional about how you want to show up in life is crucial to your results.  I am offering that you have the power to choose.  

Start by deciding the feelings you want to foster and becoming self aware.

1.Choose the positive feelings and the negative feelings necessary to succeed in what ever you set your heart.  

2. Keep a log of the thoughts that generate those feelings.  There is always a thought that produces the feeling.  It is also beneficial to document the thoughts that keep you in a negative indulgent emotion like confusion, worry, or anxiety.  

Here is an example of mine:

Positive Feelings

• Abundant
• Connected
• Loved
• Focused
• Determined

Negative Feelings

• Courageous
• Tenacious
• Bold
• Fear
• Grit

3. Journal your thoughts and feelings on a daily basis.  Are the feelings wanted, necessary or unwanted?  What thoughts produce those feelings?  Are there areas in your life that you can choose to think differently about?  Try on new thoughts.  How does the new thoughts make you feel?  This simple activity will open up so much insight!

What do you choose?

Let me encourage you to become the person of your dreams.  You may not choose grit, but you have the power to be gritty in choosing the feelings that will produce the life you always wanted!  

I am excited to bring you along on my journey!  Becoming a certified life coach is the most rewarding work I’ve done!  I’d love to help you take hold of the thoughts, to help you decide what is servicing you.  Schedule a FREE consultation to see if I’m a right fit for your journey!  It really does help to talk through the thoughts that produce the feelings, that cause action and give results in your life!  

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky!