Good day friend,
You and I have meaningful dreams we’d like to achieve.
How much action (despite all the friction/challenges we face) are we taking each day to achieve them?
There’s an old Yiddish proverb that I’ve come to appreciate: “If you want your dreams to become reality, wake up already.”
To reach the goals we’ve set for ourselves to achieve between now and the end of the year, we’ll need to employ passion and perseverance. We’ll need to be truly diligent. We’ll need to employ grit.
Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval share the following in their “Grit to Great” book:
“Grit is about sweat, not swagger. Character, not charisma. Grit has been equated more with methodical stick-to-itiveness and survival than any secret ingredient to success.”
“Grit is the result of a hard-fought struggle, a willingness to take risks, a strong case of determination, working relentlessly toward a goal, taking challenges in stride, and having the passion and perseverance to accomplish difficult things, even if you are wallowing in the most difficult circumstances.”
Aristotle wrote the following about the virtues of hard work: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.”
Michael Bloomberg, the three-time mayor of New York City whose fortune makes him one of the richest people in the world, shared the following in a New York magazine interview: “I know what hard work is all about. I still come back to what my strategy always was and will continue to be: I’m not the smartest guy, but I can outwork you. It’s the one thing I can control.”
Here are three ways in which you can develop grit today:
- Do your to-do list. Make a list of (personal and/or professional) projects you want to get done, and commit to finishing at least one within the next week. Then commit yourself for one month to finish every project on that list.
- Be a self-starter. Leaders are often judged by their ability to take the initiative. Sticking with this train of thought, starting a daily learning habit (like reading 10 minutes on leadership) instead of waiting for a formal training program can both make you stand out when compared to your peers and prepare you for opportunities that are likely to come up.
- Be tenacious. By applying a relentless ability to stay focused on your goal(s), you are showcasing the more recognizable trait associated with grit. Studies by people such as K. Anders Ericson at Florida State University have shown that it takes a minimum of 10 years (and the right kind of focused attention) to master a skill at the highest levels and realize one’s full potential.
With grit, you can reach your goals.
All the best!
Alex Rășcanu
P.S. I look forward to seeing you at one of the upcoming events.
P.P.S. If someone forwarded you this e-newsletter and you’d like to subscribe, you can do so here.
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