Grit and Resilience

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”_ Confucius

Today, I want to write briefly about the principle of grit and resilience.

To begin, let me consult my dictionary first.

Resilience is defined in the dictionary as one’s ability to recover quickly from setbacks while grit is defined as one’s determination or strength of character.

If grit is determination and determination is essential to perseverance; grit is therefore the essence of resilience. It is our ultimate source of staying power and an energy storehouse that we can tap to weather any storm under the heaven.

Grit gives us the necessary strength to keep moving when we could have been tempted to relax or surrender.  It is what enables us to take bold actions in the face of incredible challenges.

Grit enables us to display perseverance when we may have reached the end of our capacities. It enables us to keep firm in the face of adversity and extreme difficulties. 

The virtue of grit and resilience is what we can learn from a Bamboo tree, which can bend with the varying gusts of the wind but never give in to their consuming pressures. 

And like a Bamboo tree, we humans also have the ability to bounce back from any difficulties or challenges; we have the ability to adapt to all life’s circumstances. 

An expert on grit and endurance, Angela Duckworth tells us that in all super challenging contests; those who outperformed their peers are not those with superhuman natural endowments, but they are those with considerable measure of grit and resilience.

They are the ones with a type of mental toughness that allows them to bear the full burden of their responsibilities with determination and unshakable resolve. 

Now, to develop this precious quality, Amanda Ripley, the author of ‘The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why,’ has something to impart. She writes:

“People who have it tend to also have three underlying advantages: a belief that they can influence life events; a tendency to find meaningful purpose in life’s turmoil, and a conviction that they can learn from both positive and negative experiences.”

Grit is the foundation of resilience and a synonym for mental toughness. It is the fire within us that will refuse to die, no matter what we may be going through. It is what we can count on when all else fails.

It is our last trump card in using painful experiences to transform our lives and fulfill our full potential: It is our best antidote to all life’s stressors. 

With it, we can respond to any situation with resourcefulness, courage and creativity. Without it, we won’t go very far.

Next Performance

“All excellence involves discipline and tenacity of purpose.”

John Gardner

A long time ago, I watched an interesting movie’s scene where the main actor was put on the spot by a question from another person.

He was asked: which function is the most important (or most difficult) for a reputable performer?

And he answered after some brief thought that the most important performance was always the next one.

I paused to reflect on the answer for a while and I realized he was right.

You see, our greatest potential power resides in the next performance, always. 

However, the next action here doesn’t mean a performance that is coming after the work we are currently doing; but it does mean the one coming after the last. In this sense, the next performance also includes the present functionality—the work at hand.

An American journalist, Eric Severeid interprets the concept as courage. He said: 

“Tenacity is pretty fair substitute for bravery, and the best form of tenacity I know is expressed in Danish fur trapper’s principle: “The next mile is the only one a person has to make.”

This is so because no matter the nature or quality of your last performance, the next one can make a radical difference for better or worse.

One the right hand, if your last performance was great; you’re glad and ready to strive and make the next one a little bit better. 

On the left hand, if your last performance was lousy, you’re reflective and you have a higher chance of making the next one a lot better. 

So I repeat, the next functionality is always the most important one for a wise performer. The French microbiologist, Louis Pasteur proved this with his grand achievements and he confirmed this in his words when he said: “Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.”

If this concept is thoroughly understood and applied; it can truly take our game to a whole new level.

And true tenacity is what gives us the freedom to overcome both the fear of failure and the fear of success. With it, our best can be repeated—at the very least, and our worst can be significantly improved.  

When we embrace this idea completely, we instantly gain a slight edge over any game, any industry or in any competition. 

If you’re only as good as your next performance, then every performance is an opportunity to improve, and that means the good can always be made better and the bad can always be made good. 

Therefore, beware not to get too comfortable with great success and never get discouraged with a bad break. 

Know that every opportunity presents a new chance for us to do our best, going forward—irrespective of how we may have performed before.

Disciplined Diligence

“Diligence is not easy, but we can't reach our goals without it.”

Henry Cloud

What is the one thing we most need if we desire success in any significant area of life?

To answer that question, you can think about a particular quality that achievers in all walks of life have in common.

The answer I choose is diligence.

Though, there may be more than one answer, but the indisputable fact is this: disciplined diligence belongs to the highest rank of very few factors that are indispensable to winning in any area of life.

Diligence is an absolutely essential factor for peak achievement whether we are looking at science, arts, business and even religion.  

And the concept is quite simple to explain but pretty difficult to embrace for most people; it comes down to doing the critical things we need to do, in their order of importance, in a consistent manner, especially on the days we don’t feel like doing them. 

With all the natural talents in the world, we won’t get very far without the habit of disciplined diligence, which is largely about proactively doing the difficult things that we would ordinarily prefer to put off until later.

In other words, success in anything is less about wishes but more about our ability to keep doing the things that are fundamental to becoming our true best.

Diligence Turns Goals into Reality

“Human beings are capable of virtually limitless degradation; they are also capable of virtually limitless improvement and achievement. Success depends on goals and on diligence in pursuing them.”_Mas Oyama

If we want to turn our goals into reality, we need the habit of diligence; the discipline to do the things we know we should do, to the best of our ability, even when we thinly feel like doing them.

In this direction, Dave Ramsey, the author of, ‘the Legacy Journey’ explains the concept further in three simple sentences. He says:

“Work is doing it. 

Discipline is doing it every day. 

Diligence is doing it well every day.”

You see, disciplined diligence is the way to realizing our loftiest ambitions. 

Again, it is not about once in a while intensity of work but it is about unremitting consistency at the basic fundamentals of our game.

Once you understand and accept this truth, the next step is to inculcate the habit of diligence into the core fabric of your character. 

If you do, then you will be able to set and achieve almost any goal that you deeply desire.

A Chain Reaction that Begins with You

“For every positive change you make in your life, something else also changes for the better - it creates a chain reaction.”

Leon Brown

As free and mature adults, our lives are not the responsibility of anyone other than ourselves. By this, I mean with regards to other human beings. 

God is the source of life and every soul is under His absolute control. However, the Creator has given us the freedom to use our intellect and conscience for an outcome of a good worldly life and unlimited eternal joy. 

Based on that privilege of choice given to us by Almighty God, we become responsible for the consequences of every choice we make. Each choice starts a chain reaction of a series of beneficial or harmful occurrences in our lives —depending on whether the choice is good or bad.

In other words, each choice begins with an action which over time becomes a habit. And the habit accumulates into repeated gains, if it’s a good habit or repeated pains, if it’s a bad one. 

With this level of awareness, the key question now is: how do we make good choices and avoid bad ones?

If you care about an answer, please read further.

Make Good Choices and Annihilate Bad Ones

“A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results.”

Wade Boggs

Since we have established that every choice has a far reaching consequence beyond the moment of impulse, therefore the next consideration for a wise person is to figure out how to start making positive choices and stop making negative ones. 

You see, to create a radical change in your life, you don’t need to have superhuman degree of discipline (no one does, by the way), you only need to make a series of smart, positive choices over a reasonable period of time until you witness their correspondent chain reactions of abundant good in your life. 

So to get started, start small. Make a positive but a keystone choice to form a keystone habit that can improve multiple aspects of your life at the same time. 

A keystone choice is the one that can enable other positive choices. And by the nature of its critical importance, it starts a chain reaction of good that will produce significant outcomes in many areas of our lives.

A similar idea is behind the awesome book, written by Darren Hardy, entitled: ‘The Compound Effect. ’ In it Darren states that without question, a small but smart choice that we make and repeat on a daily basis will have a huge cumulative impact on our future outcomes. 

Finally, know that your life is your responsibility. So take charge of it by making positive choices that will enable the principle of chain reaction to work for you rather than against you.  

In a nutshell: choose wisely!