Back in May of 2018, I was visiting Hawaii for the first time. I was visiting Diamond Head Crater, located south of Oahu. While exploring the fort that was built during World War II, I decided to stay there until the crowds began to leave.
Thinking I was all by myself, I began to make my way down when I met another traveler who was making his way up last minute. I showed him around until we decided to go back down. By the time we arrived at the bottom, we realized that we were the only two people there. We made our way through the tunnel where we realized that we were locked inside.
Confusion began to set in as we didn’t know how we could escape. We began to question each other. We tried to come up with some ideas to get out. There was nothing. The doors were locked, and climbing up the fence was useless as it was just boxed in. Desperation set in as we wanted to avoid security and the scene they would possibly make. Plus, it was my birthday! I was determined not to spend the entire night there when I could be traveling and eating something delicious!
We looked around the gated fence to see if there was some way out. Luckily, we spotted a small opening from the fence that required us to pull it open – it seems we weren’t the only people to have been in this situation.
I pulled back on the fence and gave my fellow traveler enough room to squeeze through. I then was able to angle myself to where I could go through the fence. As soon as we got out and walked towards the front of the gate, a police car drove up and stopped beside us. Luckily, he thought we were with another group of people who were taking pictures .
My experience may not have been life changing, but it does showcase what someone can do when they are really determined to accomplish something. For me, it was so that I could be enjoying my birthday somewhere else, to eat something delicious, and to avoid being questioned for a while.
But, what about you? Have you faced moments where you could no longer continue, or just didn’t know how to continue? Maybe you’ve reached a point where you’ve asked yourself, “how do I move forward when I just want to give up?”
The answer to this question is grit. But, what does grit even mean?
What is Grit?
Grit, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is the “firmness of mind or spirit: unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger.”
Firmness of mind or spirit? Unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger? Let’s define this even further.
What does “firmness” even mean? Looking back at Webster’s Dictionary, firmness is defined as: “securely or solidly fixed in place; not weak or uncertain; not subject to change or revision; not easily moved or disturbed; indicating firmness or resolution.”
Therefore, firmness represents something that is fixed in place, with signs of certainty, something that won’t change. It is securely in place.
“Mind” and “spirit” are more abstract. It is something within the individual itself (or community) that guides the person (or community). But, what does it mean? Again, looking back at Webster’s Dictionary, they offer various definitions for mind. What seems fitting for this, however, is the following: “Intention, Desire.”
Lastly, we find the following definition for “spirit:”
Temper or disposition of mind or outlook especially when vigorous or animated; the immaterial intelligent or sentient part of a person; the activating or essential principle influencing a person; a special attitude or frame of mind; a lively or brisk quality in a person or a person’s actions; a person having a character or disposition of a specified nature; a mental disposition characterized by firmness or assertiveness.
While there are more definitions for Spirit, we must find one that best suits our needs here. For this case, we will define spirit as “a mental disposition characterized by firmness or assertiveness.”
Therefore, “mind” and “spirit” represent something that is representative of one’s mental disposition of intention and desire that is shown by their firmness, or that which is certain and secure (which won’t change) as well as their assertiveness.
Understanding firmness, mind, and spirit, we can now better understand what grit is. Grit is a fixed desire that is displayed as unchanging certainty during difficult times.
To add onto that, in a 2013 Ted Talk given by Angela Lee Ducksworth on the topic of grit, she describes grit as a
…[P]assion 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, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Why Is It Important?
Dr. Pragya Agarwal, a behavioral scientist from the UK who has also spoken at TED conferences, wrote in a Forbes 2019 article saying:
Grit is vital for success. In order to succeed, we need to have an unrelenting belief that our business and ideas will defy the statistics and become the success story that we have always strived to achieve. Grit is working not because we are forced to, but because deep down we have an inherent belief that the work that we are doing is completely worth it.
Returning back to Angela Lee Ducksworth’s Ted Talk, she began to psychologically research individuals, West Point Military Academy, the National Spelling Bee, rookie teachers, and companies who had salespeople. The purpose behind this research was to see who would find “success” in that area they belonged to. In other words, success for the West Point Military Academy was to see who would continue their military training and who would drop out, while success for the National Spelling Bee contestants was determining who would go on the furthest. For the rookie teachers, it was defined as who would still be a teacher by the end of the year – and which of those teachers would define who would be most effective in improving learning outcomes – while for the salespeople, who would earn the most money.
In her findings, Angela found that the underlying factors to those who succeeded was due to grit, and not due to other factors such as looks, health, IQ, and social intelligence.
Grit is important because it is a factor that determines what makes an individual successful in whichever area they are attending to or seeking to fulfill.
Examples of Grit
People Who Displayed Grit
In understanding that grit plays a factor in determining what makes someone successful in accordance with the area that they are attending to or seeking to fulfill, then what are examples of individuals today that have received success that they were seeking for?
In today’s world, we have various examples of individuals who have achieved success in their areas they belong to.
J.K. Rowling
I’m sure by now many of us have heard the story of J.K. Rowling and her climb to success. A single mother, living off of welfare services in the UK, who came up with the story of Harry Potter while on a delayed train from Manchester to King’s Cross in London. Now, she is a celebrated author that has influenced the lives of people the world-over. However, her success lies not in the amount of money she earned – though money was a product of her creative work – but, rather, her success lies in the realm in which she belongs in – success as an author.
Nonetheless, prior to becoming a successful author due to the results of the Harry Potter series, she had to first propel past her moments of hardship by showing grit.
When Rowling began to conceptualize the characters in Harry Potter, she was facing the overwhelming experience of her mother’s death on New Year’s Day of 1991, which she stated was the most traumatizing moment in her life. This was when she was 25 years old. From there, she would move to Portugal at the age of 26 and marry a man she met there. The marriage only lasted for 13 months, wherein she went through a miscarriage and later gave birth to her daughter, Jessica. With the marriage ended, she moved back to the UK with her daughter.
During those times, she continued to write ideas and stories about Harry Potter. However, it still was difficult for her as she began to live in a cramped apartment, jobless, and living off of welfare while raising her daughter. It was also during this time that she battled with thoughts of suicide.
By the time she was around 30, while still struggling through life and circumstances, she would eventually send her manuscript of Harry Potter to publishers. However, her manuscript was rejected by many publishers. It wouldn’t be until she found a literary agent, Christopher Little, who would secure a deal with a young publishing company named Bloomsbury. In 1997, around the age of 32, Harry Potter was released to the public in the UK, and would go on to sell around 300,000 copies by March of 1999 (Rowling was around 33 at the time). Three days after Harry Potter was published in the UK, Rowling would eventually sell the book to American book publisher, Scholastic, for more than $100,000 USD.
In regards to her success as an author, Rowling had to go through many trials of hardship. With the passing of her mother, her marital struggle, her life conditions as a single mother in the UK, the overwhelming mental battle that would haunt her during her time, and the number of rejections she faced before her book could even be published, it takes a significant amount of fortitude to combat and continue driving her forward to accomplish her desire.
J.K. Rowling was fixed on what she wanted to accomplish, and displayed an unchanging certainty during her difficult times. She displayed grit.
Kobe Bryant
As of writing this article, it is with great sadness that Kobe Bryant passed away recently on Sunday, January 26th, 2020, at the age of 41, due to a helicopter crash. It is also with great sadness that his daughter, Gianna, along with her basketball teammates and their parents, an assistant coach, and the pilot, passed away.
With a tragedy that affected the world over, Kobe, AKA The Black Mamba, will be remembered for many years to come.
When we think of Kobe, we think of him as a successful person. Yet, what was he successful in? Prior to his winning an Oscar for his animated short, Dear Basketball, his success came as a professional basketball player. That is where he carved a name for himself and relentlessly pursued his path.
Kobe had a relentless work ethic. He would be on the court practicing during early hours. In high school, he would be on the court practicing from 5 AM to 7 AM. He was committed to his desire.
This type of work ethic didn’t stop in high school. In a now-deleted Reddit post from 2013, there was a story of him that was told by the athletic trainer for Team USA, Robert. Luckily, you can read what was written on James Clear’s writing on deliberate practice. To share a few details, Kobe asked Robert to help him with some conditioning work at 4:15 AM. The team was scheduled to begin practice at 11 AM, but Kobe was already starting his workout 7 hours ahead!
When Robert went back to begin training with the team, he noticed Kobe was shooting some baskets while his teammates were talking with other people. Robert went up to him and asked him what time he finished his training. To this, Kobe responded that he was just barely finishing! He had set a goal to make 800 shots. To top it all off, he would then begin his training with the team!
It’s clear to see why Kobe would eventually go on to win many awards in the NBA, such as 5 NBA championships, awarded 2 NBA Finals MVP, and 1 MVP during the regular season. Such unwavering tenacity for his passion clearly played a role in his success as an NBA legend.
However, Kobe had to also face hardships on his journey. He had to face a high-profile criminal case that would affect his personal life and professional life. His marriage would begin to struggle, while he would go on to lose his endorsements as well. News of what happened would tarnish his character and bring his reputation and basketball fame down.
However, through it all, he would still go on with is personal work ethic and overcome the situation. With matters resolved, he and his wife would go on to fix their marriage, and he would still go on to advance forward with his NBA career.
Many of us may never have to experience what Kobe had to, but, due to the nature of grit he developed for himself, he was able to show tenacity and perseverance.
Is Grit Necessary?
Grit isn’t the end all be all of characteristics that makes you successful in your area, but it plays a key role. It is a reminder of the determination you have created to show forth as a reminder for what you are fighting for.
When stripped of everything you have, it is, at your core, what defines you. It is who you are; what you are. It is that purpose you hold clear in your mind’s eye that says you are going to accomplish this, and you aren’t taking no for an answer.
Grit is perseverance for when the going gets tough. All of us will face hard times, and it may break us. We aren’t superhumans or machines, so it’s normal for us to find moments of failure.
Yet, in understanding that grit is a fixed desire that is displayed as unchanging certainty during difficult times – our vision and goal – we then come to understand that in our moments of struggle, we do our best to push ourselves forward, even if it’s just by doing one small thing in the system that we’ve developed that helps us return to moving forward with our dreams and desires.
While people and circumstance may interfere with us, we as individuals are, in the end, our greatest detractor. Our minds determine whether we can accomplish something or not; whether we keep pushing forward or not.
In the words of Henry Ford:
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.”
Next Steps:
This is the first part of my two-part series in discussing Grit. In the next article, I’ll be discussing how you can develop grit.
In the meantime, what is one thing that you will do now that you have a better understanding of what grit is? Go ahead and tell me by sending me a message! I’d love to read what you have to say!
One of Your Fans,
Phil