How to Build Grit & What It Really Stands For

A mentor recently said something that made me scream “Yes!” because it is completely true. He said “Most people assume that the 1% have the secret to success. The reality is that the 99% just don’t want to believe that it comes down to hard work, discipline and grit.” WOW! Agreed. I have to admit, I hoped that there was a secret to success, a shortcut or a secret sauce, but he’s right. At the end of the day, success requires a lot of hard work and most often we underestimate the effort required on our part.

So how do we build grit?

G – Give

The reality is that you’ll most likely give a lot more than you receive, especially at the beginning. If you’re building a business, you’ll give a ton of value, information, free advice and extraordinary service with little returns. That’s just the reality. It’s a grind and requires inputs at a high level to achieve results. If it’s with your health, you’ll give it your all for weeks or sometimes months at a time and sometimes you will have to wait to see results, which can be discouraging when you feel like you’re giving it your all. I get it!

R - Resilience

We’re not taught resilience in school, even moreso today than when I was growing up.  Instead we’re taught to accept mediocrity as the norm. When everyone wins and everyone gets a ribbon for showing up, the majority of people suffer in life because they end up living a disengaged life, living well below their potential. Resilience is imperative for success! Being able to bounce back after failures and setbacks is what separates the average person from high achievers. The 1% pick themselves up faster and take immediate action to fix the problem and move on. They don’t dwell. They learn and proceed towards their goal. 

I – Initiative and Intent

Consistent growth through grit requires that we take the initiative to try new things that are often outside of our comfort zones. We will never live a masterful, purposeful, and fully charged life doing things that we’re comfortable doing. It’s when we step outside of our comfort zones, push our boundaries and see that we are capable of so much more than we originally believe that we excel. We must also be intentional with our inputs. Showing up to work out on a morning when you would rather have scaling done at the dentist but show up anyhow is a huge deal. Layering that discipline with intent as you do each rep develops a beast that will face other life challenges with discipline and courage. So, yes, showing up may be half the battle but being present and intentional about each action will make you dominate in the future.

T – Tenacity

I have a team member who I admire so much. She has mastered the mundane and has incredible tenacity to stick to the habits and tasks that make her our top sales person. The ability to stick with the habits and routines that are a part of our goals on the days that absolutely suck, on the days where you face rejection after rejection, on the days you don’t feel like it, on the days you see ZERO results… that’s tenacity in action!

Each one of us is capable of developing more grit. There is so much uncertainty surrounding our economic and social structures, which means right now is the most important time to double down! 

What do you do to stay gritty?