It starts off talking about a woman named Micha Burden - a woman who wasn't a stellar swimmer and was somewhat out of shape - who wanted to compete in and win the U.S. Open Water World Championship. So, she hired a performance consultant (Kenneth Baum), worked her butt off, and as all happy/motivational stories go, she won.
The article discusses the importance of grit when attaining a long-term goal. Some people have it and some people don't. It goes on to cite studies of those who are successful in their fields and those who are not. In one instance they discuss a group of children that they follow into adulthood and see that "... the only difference between the most successful and the least successful of the bunch was that who scored real-world achievement possessed traits such as perseverance." The article then provides a "Grit Scale," used "to rank an individual's level of perseverance," from Angela Duckworth, Ph.D. who developed the scale after a 2002 study.
It then goes on to discuss the cultivation of grit. While some people are born with that mind-set, it is also possible to be developed. Dean Keith Simonton, Ph.D. and Tara Jones, Ph.D. offer some fantastic tips on developing your grit. These tips include:
"You first have to pinpoint a long-term goal that you're willing to work hard to obtain, even if it means overcoming obstacles." (Simonton)
"Performance goals are about the training, putting in all the hours or miles so that you can reach your final goal." (Simonton)
"It's about doing something because you want to... It's critical for persistence." (Jones)
Another key ingredient in grit is optimism.
"You can train yourself to view things in a more optimistic, positive way. It's about challenging your own beliefs." (Jones)
"Recording your successes on a regular basis helps bolster positive thinking." (Jones)
The article itself is a great motivating tool. It has that "YES, I CAN!" feeling and leaves you wanting to set those long-term goals. I'm definitely going to keep their studies and tips in mind while training for my half-marathon on April 15. Do you have any goals? Everyone should, and this article shoes that with a little grit and sweat, anything is possible.
