Learning the finer arts of true grit
they don’t get the highest marks.
Life is all about getting knocked down and getting up again, instead of quitting.
It’s not talent that will get you to the top, but hard work, self-control, discipline and effort.
The children who keep getting up may just be the future Bransons of this world because they are willing to put in the hard work, take the risks, fail if necessary and never, ever give up.
This is where parents play a vital role. Children should not quit at the first sign of difficulty. You need to teach them to be committed and disciplined enough to stick with something by motivating them, by being their coaches and by reinforcing the notion that waiting for things to mature and failing along the way are all part of the journey.
Children and adults alike should never be afraid to fail, because mistakes that one learns from are life’s best teachers.
Whereas other people quit after they lose, gritty individuals learn from what they did wrong and understand what they can do better. A person with grit is one who can “outfail” the competition to succeed: they will be knocked down seven times and get up eight times.
How to teach grit is still being researched, so learn how to be gritty by being someone with a strong character who puts in the work to run a marathon — and is not satisfied merely because they have finished a brief sprint.
After all, we are in life for the long haul.
Look at all the greatest sporting champions, the best business people and global leaders: they always fall down and lose it all — but, just as easily, they always find a way to make it back to the top.
People who personify grit are Apple founder Steve Jobs, The Apprentice’s Donald Trump, Nelson Mandela, tennis player Andre Agassi and many more who usually have us asking: “How did they keep going?”
The greatest discoveries in the world came after many failures. If Thomas Edison or the Wright brothers had given up after the 10th or even the 100th attempt, we would be sitting in the dark and having to travel the world by sea. Thank goodness they had grit. Do you?
Take the grit test here: sites.sas.upenn.edu/ duckworth .
I would like to end with this quote from US president Teddy Roosevelt. It moved something in me and I hope it will do the same for you: “It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”
Kanchana Moodliar is an author, motivational speaker and yoga instructor. Follow her on Twitter @kanchmoodliar for inspirational tweets, or on facebook at youcanbesugarfree