The 5 Characteristics Of Grit
When it comes to predicting success in life, IQ is not the only significant determining factor. Traits such as social and emotional intelligence, appearance, and health are also known to play a part. But there is one lesser-known factor in predicting whether someone will be successful. This characteristic is called grit.
Psychologists are finding increasing evidence to suggest that grit can have an effect on your long-term success. But what exactly is grit?
Grit is the ability to persevere with long-term goals. You can see it like living life as a marathon, not a spring. Grit is having the stamina to push through challenges and keep going. When you stick to your plan over years and work hard on your goals instead of jumping ship when things get hard congratulations! You have grit!
Though it’s hard to say what drives grit in the first place, here are its 5 key characteristics.
1. Courage
Courage is often thought to be the absence of fear – it’s not. Having courage means facing your fears head-on and doing what you set out to do in the first place. In this sense, it could mean having the courage to go against the norms of society and follow your own path. Taking an opportunity even when you don’t feel ready. Following your passion, no matter where it takes you. Standing up and doing the right thing instead of taking the easy way out.
Courage when following your dreams is essential, as it’s not in the norms of society for people to chase their wildest ambitions. Having courage gives you grit because you aren’t afraid to reach for your goals.
2. Perseverance
One of the biggest factors which determine whether you’ll succeed or fail is your level of perseverance. This means having the ability to keep going when quitting is the easier option. Most people associate perseverance with pain, but when you have grit, you can see past this to the rewards on the other side.
But there’s a key difference between someone who perseveres and comes out successful and someone who spends a lot of time working on something and getting nowhere. This key factor is purpose. Those who have true grit have a long-term purpose which guides them and sets the framework for their actions. Their purpose drives them forward, giving them the passion, stamina, and courage to reach their goals.
People who persevere know that just because things are difficult in the present doesn’t mean they always will be. As Winston Churchill once said: “If you are going through hell, just keep going.”
3. Conscientiousness
Being conscientious means that you are thorough, careful, and meticulous in everything you do. You take your work seriously and do it to the best of your ability. Conscientious people in general have strong values and moral principles, always wanting to do things “the right way.” This personality trait is essential for reaching your goals, as doing everything well will make sure that your work is of the highest quality.
Being conscientious is striving for excellence when mediocrity will do. When you’ve put all your effort into your projects, the sense of pride and accomplishment drives you further along your journey to success.
4. Resilience
Resilience, also known as “toughness,” is the ability to recover quickly from difficult situations. In general, people who are very optimistic show a higher level of resilience when faced with adversity. When you are resilient, you approach life in a light-hearted way with humor, always looking on the brighter side of life. You bounce back fast and are quick to find your feet after getting knocked down. When thrown into a tricky situation, resilient people use the obstacles and mistakes they make as a springboard for learning and improving, instead of tools to beat themselves up.
Resilience is essential when you’re working towards your goals, as it keeps you on the right path and stops you from giving up easily. People with this trait don’t compare themselves to others. They measure their success based on their own targets. Instead of trying to control their lives, resilient people ride life’s ups and downs, adapting to the changes.
5. Passion
Passion is the driving force behind being successful and reaching your goals. People who are passionate have a deep-rooted sense of purpose. They are self-aware and have a clear idea of their values and beliefs. People who are passionate about their goals are driven to achieving them, by any means necessary, and without letting anything or anyone get in their way. They won’t take “no” for an answer and realize that if they want to really reach their goals, they have to take action and not rely on other people to do the hard work for them.
People with passion take responsibility for their actions and their lives; they know what they want to do, and they go for it.
Conclusion
Having grit is one of the key personality traits of successful people. Individuals who actually succeed in reaching their dreams are passionate. They have the courage to pursue their goals, are resilient and persevere when times get tough. They are hard-working and conscientious. They know that mistakes are just lessons to learn from and failure is not the end.
In short, they have grit.
You can grow and nurture your grit by practicing what you’re passionate about every single day. Connect to a higher purpose and see how your passion can help others. Embrace optimism and believe that what you want to happen, can happen. Face your fears and tackle challenges head-on instead of avoiding them. And surround yourself with gritty people; being around people with grit will rub off on you.
If success in the destination, grit is the engine, and these 5 characteristics of grit are the oil that keeps the engine moving.
