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Have you got Grit?

MARCH, 2017

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Angela Duckworth, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, suggests that grit is a strong predictor of success and ability to reach one’s goals. So what is grit? According to Angela, “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week or the month, but for years and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it is a marathon, not a sprint.” I hope the messages this month inspire you to use your grit and never give up on what you truly want to do.

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Talent does not make you gritty. There are many talented individuals who do not follow through on their commitments. It is unrelated or inversely related to measures of talent.
People who have grit do not believe that failure is a permanent condition. They have a growth mindset
Angela Duckworth

Greatness Requires Internal Toughness

Our most important talent is having a talent for working hard, for practicing even when practice isn’t fun. It’s about putting in the hours when we’d rather be watching TV. Success is never easy. That’s why talent requires grit.

Woody Allen famously declared that “Eighty percent of success is showing up”. Grit is what allows you show up again and again.

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Here are some ways to build grit.

1: Define what grit or mental toughness means for you.  
For example: Never missing your morning run or finish your work ahead of schedule everyday for a month.
Whatever it is, be clear about what you’re going after.

2: Build grit with small physical wins.
So often we think that grit is about how we respond to extreme situations, but what about everyday circumstances?
Mental toughness is like a muscle. It needs to be worked to grow and develop. Choose to do the tenth rep when it would be easier to just do nine. Choose to ask the extra question when it would be easier to accept. Prove to yourself – in a thousand tiny ways – that you have enough guts to get in the ring and do battle with life.

3:  Build strong habits and stop depending on motivation.
Grit isn’t about getting an incredible dose of inspiration or courage. It’s about building the daily habits that allow you to stick to a schedule and overcome challenges and distractions over and over and over again. Mentally tough people don’t have to be more courageous, more talented, or more intelligent — just more consistent.

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Grit comes down to your habits. It’s about doing the things you know you’re supposed to do on a more consistent basis. It’s about your dedication to daily practice and your ability to stick to a schedule.

“If we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.”

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Remember, it is all those little differences that make the BIG Difference

Be Extraordinary

Ann

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