Grit: knowing when to let go and knowing when to stick it out
There is an alluring sense to seeing someone struggle and come out on the other side victorious after an arduous journey.
The blood, sweat and tears of an artisans heart and soul poured into his creation invokes a sense of secondhand pride and joy in labor after seeing the finished product.
This analogy plays out in our life but we struggle to see how and when we feel lost we decide to let things go that could have tremendously blessed us. Or more rarely we stick to things that hurt us and we feel resentment about staying.
What is grit?
For one thing grit is a book by Angela Duckworth, an amazing read that details the ins and outs of the concept of grit.
But for brevity, I will give my definition of how I perceive grit.
Grit is sticking out a worthwhile endeavor despite circumstantial whelming and external or internal emotions.
The concept of grit can be expounded upon and some may view it differently however this is how I conceptualize it.
In this moment, think about things you look back and would have liked to have completed and ask yourself:
What kept me from accomplishing my goals and desires in this area?
Figuring out whether or not it is worth it to (grit it out and) stay long term and short term.
One of things that makes it feel like we have to quit things is being uncertain of how what we are doing is affecting us for good or for bad.
If we have the feeling that we are losing money or sanity in an endeavor it will stress us out and cause us to be driven to quit at some point and that may be the best thing.
However what we need to do before we make that decision is analyze the pros and cons of our endeavor objectively and subsequently choose when to leave or how long we will stay before we reanalyze our situation.
Taking a few moments:
Ask yourself is there anything you feel like you want or need to give up? And then ask yourself why do I want to give that up? and lastly ask yourself is there a way that I can stick this out and should I?(based on your analyzing the pros and cons.)
Keeping your goals in mind
When you make sure to have a large vision and smaller goals within the vision you are able to make decisions on things to continue that will get you closer to your goal and say no to things that pull you away from it. (Think of the dots as goals)
Let your vision be your artisanal craft and treat it like you care about it. If you are a nail stylist, become an expert nail stylist. As you professionalize your craft you will reap the dividends of grit if you can handle the curveballs they will throw at you
Cultivate your vision; don’t think it will fall out of thin air. Taste and find things you like to do and you think you can enjoy and become decent at and then begin to focus intensely on and become and expert at.
As an example, when I first started working at 15, I worked jobs that were good jobs and I could and should have picked one good job to work and stayed there and built up a savings and personal capital with my employer.
I would have had a better foundation for my college career but I quit those jobs and had to learn to deal with the consequences.
I am still young and am learning and growing everyday and trying my best to use wisdom instead of trial and error.
My advice to you in this second is to find a person you find wise and treat them to something(even a smile can be a treat) and ask them a few questions about life and be encouraged to continue on your journey to success.
Grit is one of the keys to success. Cultivate it in your life starting today!
“ Consistency will take you to the mountains men of inconsistency have never known or dared to dream of”
Your servant of God
