Grit, Growth Mindset And The Secrets Of Success

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From Mission To Vision Using Grit:

For achieving success, grit, the quality that makes us sustain our effort a bit longer until we accomplish what we have set out to, is very essential. Grit will distinguish us from our work ethic than by our intelligence.

Some things come naturally to us and other things need us to put in a lot of effort. Isn’t it? But, isn’t that all what growth mindset is all about? That we’re not just fixed in our abilities and that we can always make ourselves better through persistence, hard work, and most importantly, resilience.

For understanding and developing grit, we can take cues from people who do what they love for a living. From these people, we can understand that just as it is important to enjoy what we’re doing, so is deriving pleasure in the pursuit of our goals. It is important to remember that life is going to be exhausting, both mentally and physically.

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How To Develop Grit:

Understand The Value Of Time:

Understand the impact of the choices of you make with time. It’s the most limited resource we have, and once gone never to be acquired again.

Visualize Your Future:

Think ahead. Imagine the feeling of accomplishment you will feel once you’ve completed the task at hand. That positive sensation can be a huge motivator.

Control Your Environment:

Take away the temptations. Remove any and all distracting stimuli around you. Remove apps that are the major distractors and remove easy access to them. Disable notifications for your phone.

Work In Small Batches:

If you’ve a tendency to procrastinate, understand why you’re falling victim to that. Is the project something you don’t understand or is it too time consuming? Either way, split it into manageable bite sized chunks and tackle it.

Find That Space Where You’re Valued:

Think of all the places that you add value. Focus all your energies in growing and allowing yourself to shine. There’s something that you think you’re good at. What is that one thing?

Make Focus Sustainable:

Focus sustainable is focus achievable. Before your sit down for deep work, go to the bathroom and don’t be hungry. Run far away from your smartphone. It’s really that simple. Time box your essential tasks and leave some unstructured time for yourself for unforeseen emergencies.

Think Long Term:

Treat yourself to sudden urges and instant cravings by creating a rewarding system. Tell yourself, if I can just hold off on that icecream craving just a little longer, I can enjoy it more peacefully because I’ll be done with what I’m doing.

Be Adaptable:

Don’t resist disruption, instead, embrace change. Being resistant to new solutions and points of view leaves you fatigued and not willing to move on the path to achieving your goals.

Build A Reserve:

Self-preservation is a great tactic to stay on track without falling off the wagon. Getting enough sleep, seeing friends, exercising, and giving and helping others are all great ways to recharge and build your reserves.

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Can Grit Be Taken Too Far:

Having grit and being eager to persevere doesn’t always mean you have been on the run constantly. Our energies matter and so do our efforts. And we must not forget to give ourselves grace to let things be or let it go once in a while.

Recognizing that enables us to realize the times when our resilience seizes to be an asset and becomes a liability. So, how can we avoid taking this dogged grittiness too far?

By being flexible enough to know when to stop being persistent. By knowing when to give up. By understanding and listening to ourselves and the environment. By once in a while stopping to ask if the solution, the direction or the means of achieving our goal is the right one or not.

Understand when a project has become a lost cause. Instead of being stubborn, develop the ability to cut your losses. A project that has no desired outcome and no valuable result is a waste of time and precious energy resources.

The bottom line is that most of us live without a vision, and without a grit to pursue what matters to us. In those aspects, Helen Keller, the blind American author, was better than most of us who have sight but lack a vision in the end.

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About The Article Author:

Our mission with FutureSTRONG Academy – to grow children who respect themselves, their time and their capabilities in a world where distractions are just a click or a swipe away.

I see myself as an advocate for bringing social, emotional and character development to families, schools and communities. I never want to let this idea out of my sight – Our children are not just GPAs. I’m a Writer and a Certified Master Coach in NLP and CBT. Until 2017, I was also a Big Data Scientist. In December of 2044, I hope to win the Nobel. Namasté.

Write to me or call me. Tell me what support from me looks like.

Rachana Nadella-Somayajula,
Program Director & Essential Life Skills Coach for Kids and Busy Parents