Grit! What is grit? Grit as defined by Webster is "mental toughness and courage." Girt is the passion and perseverance for long term goals. Grit is stamina and not backing down. Grit is in all of us!
As a physical education teacher, swimming coach and yoga teacher I witness grit in action each and everyday! I see grit in PE class when my second grade student throws herself across the gym floor to block a ball from going into a goal. I see it when my fourth grade students are running stride for stride to achieve the fastest time in the mile. I see it when my first grade students are practicing their throwing skills and not giving up because they missed their target. I see it in my swimmers when they are so immersed in their workouts yet they want to cry because their lungs and body are burning, however, their goal of making it to the state meet is all they can think of achieving. I see it with my yoga students when they are learning a new pose or trying to achieve a supported headstand for the hundredth time. All of these examples show the attitude of grit and to NEVER GIVE UP!
Is grit really that easy? NO!!!! Grit is in all of us but, why do some people seem to have more of than others? Is it genetic? Is it intelligence? Is it both? It's neither of them. It's one's mindset! Everyone is presented with many challenges each and everyday. Some are small and some are so big they seem impossible. It's all how we approach the challenge presented to us. Are we opening our minds up to succeed? Most people will say "yes, I want to succeed." But truly the question that should be asked is...are we opening our minds up to fail? Thomas Edison took a 1,000 try's to create the light bulb. Michale Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team and he even states "I've failed over and over again in my life and that's why I'm successful." Failure teaches us more than success. We can choose to take our learning's and continue to grow from them or we can let our minds limit us.
This year one of my goals is to teach each of my students and athletes to discover their true GRIT! If a student says "I can't climb a rope" or "I can't swim faster" or "I'm not good, so I can't do it." I stop and let that student know that THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH AND YES THEY CAN! It's all how we approach the challenge and how we deal with it mentally. Strong mental toughness, belief, continually trying and finding new ways to accomplish the challenge that work specifically for oneself is how grit is learned and built up more and more in each and everyone of us!
Step outside of your comfort zone and take the risk to discover the true grit you have within you!
