Do you want to be successful in life? Then, you have to develop grit in yourself if you want to become one.

What does it take to be gritty?

What do you need to do to become persistent and gritty in life? Let’s explore that through the book Angela Duckworth’s Grit: The Power of Passion and Persistence.

Let me tell you a story. 

I used to dabble with several businesses, whether it’s multi-level marketing, eBay, multiply.com listings ( now on a defunct online marketplace ), convenience stores and bakeries. 

I failed it all and only got successful with freelancing which is my primary source of income now. I only succeeded when I finally focused and put all of my effort and grit into making this work.

The lessons I learned from Grit helped me look back on my life and see grit is the number one thing that propelled me to success. I’ll share some of these principles in this blog post.

“Do…or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda.

There is no trying in success. There is only do until you get it. You must have grit to keep trying if you don’t feel like it.

Can you succeed with your innate talent alone and not apply grit?

While beauty, skill, talents, and connections can be valuable assets in certain situations, they may not be enough to ensure success in the long term. 

Beauty may fade over time and become irrelevant to specific career paths. Skill and connections can be helpful, but more than they may be needed to overcome significant obstacles or sustain long-term efforts toward a goal.

In contrast, individuals with grit are more likely to persevere through difficult times and continue to make progress toward their goals.

They are also more likely to bounce back from setbacks and failures and learn from their experiences, which can help them grow and develop over time.

Grit + Talent Equals Massive Success

Michael Jordan is known as one of the best basketball player of all time. 

He was considered talented as he was quicker, faster, more agile, and had higher jumping ability compared to his fellow players. 

Even though he was born with excellent innate talent, he didn’t let that make him complacent. 

He combined his talent with relentless hard work to become one of the greatest basketball players ever.

Talent is great, and adding hard work makes you a tremendous success. Talent without hard work and persistence is wasted talent!

Jordan’s famous quote on success:

“ I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted with taking the winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again. And that is why I succeed. “

So, we know grit is important and, together with talent, can make a BIG impact on your success. 

Let’s dive deeper… 

How do you develop grit exactly? 

You have to start from the inside and outside…

7 Ways You Can Grow Grit from the Outside and Inside

Growing Grit from the Outside

1. Find a coach or mentor

Find yourself a coach who will push you to overcome your limitations. We only have limited willpower, and this gets spent throughout the day. 

You may consciously want to do something, but you no longer have the will to carry on. 

A coach can help you go further and motivate you to push even if you no longer feel it. 

It’s no wonder all high-performing athletes have coaches. Coaches help you get grittier when the going goes tougher.

2. Surround yourself with gritty people

There is a saying that you are what you belong to. If you belong to a group of persistent, gritty people, you also become and gritty too.

You can find these people in business groups, volunteer groups, charity events, and speaking conventions. 

People usually gather here because they want to associate themselves with successful people.

Getting grit from the inside

3. Have a never give up attitude

When it comes to success, it’s all up to you if you want it. If you really want it, you’ll do everything you can, no matter what. You’ll have a NEVER GIVE UP ATTITUDE. 

This is the only attitude that will help you move on if things get challenging and you already want to quit.

4. Finish What You Begin

Sometimes we don’t finish a project or task because we see it as too difficult. There is no point in moving on if you don’t see yourself overcoming the problems in front of you.

Strive to finish what you started if it’s a worthwhile endeavor that will improve your life. List all the obstacles you’ll face and write down ways to overcome them. 

This way, it prepares you once these problems arrive, and this will help you become grittier in achieving your goal.

5. Pursue your passion. Find something that you love

Working on something interesting for you will help you become gritty easily. You have an internal drive to pursue something if it’s interesting. 

When you are passionate about something, you are more likely to fully engage in it, which means you are more willing to put in the effort and time required to achieve your goals.

6. Practice makes perfect

Keep practicing. You’ll get better at what you do as long as you keep practicing. Ask for feedback so you can keep on improving.

When someone is committed to practicing a skill or task until it is perfect, they demonstrate a high level of grit. 

This is because they are willing to put in the time and effort required to achieve their goals, even when progress may be slow or difficult. 

7. Cultivate hope

Hope is what makes me believe that everything will be fine. No matter what happens, something good will come out of your efforts. 

Being persistent in doing things that drive you toward your goals may look like you’re doing it in vain. Being hopeful and optimistic will help you whether the work and keep going until you succeed.

Conclusion

Becoming gritty is challenging but with these 7 tips to follow above, you can easily become one. Check out my last post if you’re looking for success by barking on the wrong tree.