BUSINESS
GRIT Leads to Effort , and EFFORT Leads to SUCCESS
When we ’ re young , we ’ re told if we study hard and pay attention in school , we ’ ll be well off . We also know that some people simply possess a natural aptitude for certain things , which can lead to success as well .
But according to psychologist Angela Duckworth , the secret to outstanding achievement isn ’ t necessarily intelligence or talent – it ’ s grit .
GRIT EFFORT SUCCESS
30 MOMENTUM
GRIT EFFORT SUCCESS
Duckworth describes grit as a blend of passion and persistence for long-term and meaningful goals . It ’ s a measure of your tenacity and resilience – your resolve to move forward after suffering a setback .
Leo Babauta , author and creator of the popular online journal Zen Habits , has another name for grit . He calls it “ Overcoming the Urge to Quit .”
Babauta claims it ’ s a habit , and that he learned it when he finally succeeded in quitting smoking for good – after quitting not-for-good seven times before that .
The good news is , according to Babauta , “ Overcoming the Urge to Quit ” is something you can develop . And you do that by putting in the effort and committing to do it over and over and over again .
You ’ ve likely heard the phrase , “ It ’ s always darkest before dawn .” Indeed , some of our greatest triumphs come to us on the verge of failure . Our best ideas are often last minute , when our backs are against the wall . In fact , some of our best ideas often come after we ’ ve already failed .
How many times have you submitted something you struggled with , only to then have an epiphany that – had you had it just a few days earlier – would have made your project a breeze ?
Of course , it ’ s frustrating – but it ’ s the people who take those frustrations in stride and persevere with their newfound knowledge that accomplish amazing things .
Let me give you an example of how grit leads to effort , and effort leads to success .
In September of 2013 , Diana Nyad attempted to swim more than 100 miles from Havana , Cuba to Key West , Florida . Nyad called the stretch of water “ Mother Nature on steroids .” The Florida Straits are filled with whitetip shark and box jellyfish – famous for their aggressiveness and deadly venom respectively .
After nearly 53 hours in the water , Nyad became the first person to ever complete the swim from Cuba to Florida . She did it at 64 years old , on her fifth attempt . Her catalyst for completing the swim ? The death of her mother , four years earlier .
Nyad could have quit on her fourth attempt , which came to a screeching halt after she was stung by a jellyfish . She could have quit on that first night , as she carved through walls of freezing seawater , vomiting into her mask and struggling to keep afloat . But Nyad and her team had a motto they recited back and forth , from the Marina Hemingway in Havana all the way to the beaches of Key West : “ Find a way .”
Nyad had grit . And she put in the effort . And that ’ s how she achieved something so great .