The results to effort ratio for many tasks can be low, and it can take extremely long to show a tangible outcome.

Start-ups, research work, fights for justice, bringing up children are examples of a very long and bumpy road from effort to achieving results.

Angela Duckworth in her book titled Grit defines grit as the passion and perseverance to pursue long term goals. It is a very strong predictor of success. “How soon do you give up?” The answer to this question is the simplest measure of your grit.

Grit is not an easy competency to master, and the obstacles to grit lie within us. Laziness is the biggest barrier to practicing grit. There is no other remedy for it, except getting up, showing up and doing the heavy lifting.

  • Our desire to seek pleasure is another barrier. Temptations and distractions arise from this desire, and need to be managed by practicing delayed gratification. Delayed gratification is the ability to control the impulse for an immediate or short term pleasure for a more valuable purpose in the long term. For example, deciding to watching Netflix only after your work is complete. Again, the remedy is self-discipline and constantly remaining centred on your purpose,
  • Fear of failure traps us in mediocrity. We need to build up our stores of sensible courage to move forward. 
  • Fear of looking like a fool is another debilitating fear. We have to examine our need for social approval, and reduce the energy we invest in worrying about what people think of us. Let people come up with interesting opinions about you, while you burn the midnight oil.
  • Entitlement mentality makes us feel that we are entitled to success, without the hard work. As if success was a pet dog who would come running and wagging his tail whenever you call. This is a recipe for failure and not for success. 
  • Grit needs you to have faith in yourself. As you keep putting in effort, this faith keeps increasing.

Self Reflection

Think through the goals you have given up and identify the barriers that stopped you.

  1. How did you feel after giving up? Does it make you feel good about yourself? Or does it lower your self-esteem? Everytime you give up on a goal, you lose a part of your self-esteem.
  2. What action will you take to overcome these barriers the next time around?

References:

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