A few weeks ago I finished a book titled Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. This book had been on my reading list for YEARS and I finally decided it was time to pick it up. The timing couldn’t have been better. I just purchased my first home – which was a huge and scary step – and I needed a good reminder that grit would get me through the process. Not only that, but I could use some of this research to share with my business communications class.
Home ownership is something I have dreamed of for years, but never thought would be possible on my own, especially as someone with chronic illness. What many healthy people don’t understand is that chronic illness can hold us back in every aspect of our lives. It’s not just the physical impacts that we have to deal with, but the emotional, social, and financial impacts. I felt robbed of these things for many years. It took a lot of grit to learn to conquer these fears, which is something I have been doing a lot of lately.
In her book, Duckworth talks about how grit can increase as we age, or rather we mature over time which results in a grittier personality. Duckworth suggests that we “learn to dust ourselves off after rejection and disappointment, and learn to tell the difference between low-level goals that should be abandoned quickly and higher-level goals that demand more tenacity.” It’s the story of maturation.
Our life experiences change our personality. Life in our 20s and 30s is often trial and error. We are traveling, trying new things, starting new jobs, and trying to find our reason for getting out of bed in the morning. We make mistakes and we learn from them. As humans, we adapt and we change. We rise to the occasion. Duckworth doesn’t suggest that our level of grit is fixed over time, but that it is malleable.
I couldn’t help but find this relatable. I took Duckworth’s test to determine my score on the grit scale and it turns out I’m pretty gritty. That didn’t come as a shock to me, but what really struck me is that I had this grit even before I was diagnosed and I didn’t lose it. I really believe that my diagnosis only reinforced my level of grit, because I had to endure and overcome a serious bump in the road of life. It is reassuring to know that my level of grit will only get stronger and help me narrow in on my true “calling.”
I always tell my students how important it is to have a growth mindset. Often times we go into conversations with our minds already made up about the outcome, which limits what we hear and perceive. If we all approach life with a growth mindset, we will end up persevering even when we face failure, which could result in so much more opportunity. This is a framework we should be teaching our children as well.
So to all my chronic illness warriors out there, don’t give up! Remember that these tough times will teach us to be gritty and to move forward even when that doesn’t seem like an option. For all you leaders and managers out there – if you want the people in your organization to be grittier, create a gritty culture. Set a good example for your team. None of this comes overnight, but with persistence and a change in our approach, we can learn to achieve and take advantage of every opportunity.
Find out how gritty you are by taking Angela’s quiz and share your results in the comments below!
Turning Wellness into a Lifestyle 