In a winter of stormy weather, a landscape of serious financial decline, an on-going war, reports of international unrest and plenty of personal challenges, you don’t have to be a cowboy to have true grit.
What is Grit?
The formal definition of Grit is of rough granules, as of sand or stone. The psychological definition of Grit is as a positive non-cognitive trait that involves perseverance of effort to accomplish a long term goal no matter what obstacles or challenges lay within a “gritty” individual’s path.
Research defining grit as perseverance and passion for long-term goals found that as a trait, Grit had better predictability for success than IQ or conscientiousness.
The person with true grit is not likely to be the student with the highest SAT Score, the team member with the greatest talent, the manager with the Ivy League background or the most popular Mom on the block.
Actually the person with true grit shares many of the qualities of Rooster Cogburn, the character of the U.S. Marshall played by Jeff Bridges in the 2010 Coen Brothers’ motion picture, True Grit. The person with true grit, be they a senior learning to use a walker, a soldier in basic training, a father searching for a new job or a woman re-locating after losing her spouse and her home, has:
- A clear goal
- Determination despite others’ doubts
- Self-confidence about figuring it out
- Humility about knowing it doesn’t come easy
- Persistence despite fear
- Patience for the small stuff that obscures the path
- A code of ethics they live by
- Flexibility in the face of roadblocks
- A capacity for human connection and collaboration
- A recognition that accepting help does not equate to weakness
- A focus and appreciation of each step in the journey
- An appreciation of other people’s grit
- A loyalty that never sacrifices connections along the way
- An inner strength that brings them to their goal
Consider these are you take “The Grit Survey” developed by Angela L. Duckworth, of the Seligman Research Alliance and accessible on the Authentic Happiness website. (Free to register and take the Test)
Do You Have True Grit?