How Grit can help improve your mental health and achieve your goals

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to achieve their goals despite facing numerous challenges and setbacks? How do they manage to stay motivated, resilient, and optimistic in the face of adversity? What makes them different from those who give up easily or settle for mediocrity?

The answer may lie in a psychological trait called grit. Grit is defined as the combination of passion and perseverance for long-term goals. It is the ability to persist in something you care about and work hard to make it happen. It is not about talent, luck, or intelligence. It is about having a vision and sticking to it until you make it a reality.

In this article, I will explore how grit can improve your mental health and boost your performance goals. I will also share some tips on how to develop grit and apply it to your personal and professional life. Whether you are a student, a researcher, an athlete, a coach, or anyone who wants to achieve more in life, this article is for you.

What is Grit?

Grit is a personality trait that suggests that someone possessing grit has perseverance and passion and will work hard to achieve long-term goals. It is related to other personality traits such as resilience and hardiness. People who have grit are able to overcome challenges and difficulties and stick to their vision and values. Grit can help people improve their mental health and achieve their goals in various domains of life, such as education, work, sports, arts, and social causes.

According to Angela Duckworth, who is the leading researcher on grit, grit can be defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals”. She and her colleagues developed a grit scale that measures how passionate and persistent people are for their long-term goals. They found that grit predicts success better than IQ, SAT scores, or talent in different settings, such as educational attainment by adults, GPA among Ivy League undergraduates, dropout rate of cadets at West Point US Military Academy, and ranking in the National Spelling Bee.

Grit has two main components: finding your passion and persevering against obstacles. Finding your passion means exploring your interests, values, and strengths and finding something that challenges you, excites you, and gives you a sense of purpose. Persevering against obstacles means viewing them as challenges rather than threats, adopting a growth mindset, seeking feedback and improvement, and bouncing back from disappointment and frustration.

Grit can be developed and strengthened over time by following some tips, such as finding your passion, setting your goals, practicing your skills, embracing challenges, and celebrating successes. By developing grit, you can improve your mental health and achieve your goals in any area of life that matters to you.

Why is Grit important for Mental Health?

Mental health is a state of well-being in which you can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and contribute to your community. Mental health is influenced by many factors, such as genetics, environment, lifestyle, and personality. However, one factor that can have a significant impact on your mental health is how you respond to challenges and difficulties.

Research has shown that grit can enhance your mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout. Grit can also increase your happiness, satisfaction, and well-being. How does grit do that? Here are some possible explanations:

• Grit helps you focus on the positive aspects of your situation. When you have a clear and meaningful goal that you are passionate about, you are more likely to see the opportunities and benefits that come with it. You are also more likely to appreciate the progress and achievements that you make along the way. This can boost your mood and self-esteem.
• Grit helps you cope with the negative aspects of your situation. When you face obstacles and setbacks, you are more likely to view them as challenges rather than threats. You are also more likely to adopt a growth mindset, which means that you believe that you can learn and improve from your experiences. This can reduce your fear of failure and increase your resilience.
• Grit helps you connect with others who share your vision and values. When you pursue a long-term goal that matters to you, you are more likely to seek support and feedback from people who can help you achieve it. You are also more likely to offer support and feedback to others who are on the same journey. This can enhance your social relationships and sense of belonging.

How can Grit boost your Performance goals?

Performance goals are the outcomes that you want to achieve in a specific domain or task. They can be related to academic achievement, athletic performance, artistic expression, or any other area of interest or expertise. Performance goals can be influenced by many factors, such as motivation, ability, environment, and feedback. However, one factor that can have a significant impact on your performance goals is grit.

Research has shown that grit can boost your performance goals by enhancing your motivation, effort, persistence, and learning. Grit can also help you overcome distractions, procrastination, boredom, and fatigue. How does grit do that? Here are some possible mechanisms:

• Grit helps you align your performance goals with your passion. When your performance goals are based on something that you are genuinely interested in and passionate about, you are more likely to be motivated and engaged in pursuing them. You are also more likely to enjoy the process and the outcome of achieving them.
• Grit helps you set high standards for your performance goals. When your performance goals are challenging but attainable, you are more likely to put in more effort and persistence in reaching them. You are also more likely to seek feedback and improvement along the way.
• Grit helps you cope with setbacks and failures in your performance goals. When your performance goals are met with obstacles and difficulties, you are more likely to view them as learning opportunities rather than threats. You are also more likely to bounce back from disappointment and frustration.
• Grit helps you sustain your performance goals over time. When you set goals that are long-term and meaningful, you are more likely to stick with them despite distractions or temptations. You are also more likely to maintain your enthusiasm and commitment over time.

What are some examples of Grit?

Grit can be found in many domains of life, such as education, work, sports, arts, and social causes. Here are some examples of people who have shown grit in their fields:

• J. K. Rowling: The author of the Harry Potter series faced many rejections and hardships before becoming one of the most successful writers in history. She wrote her first book while being a single mother living on welfare. She persevered through 12 rejections from publishers before finding one who agreed to publish her book. She continued to write despite facing personal tragedies, such as the death of her mother and her divorce. She also faced criticism and lawsuits from some who accused her of plagiarism or inappropriate content. She never gave up on her passion for writing and creating a magical world for millions of readers.
• Michael Jordan: The basketball legend is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time. He was known for his relentless work ethic and competitive drive. He was cut from his high school basketball team when he was a sophomore. He used this as motivation to practice harder and prove himself. He went on to win six NBA championships, five MVP awards, and two Olympic gold medals. He also faced several challenges throughout his career, such as injuries, personal losses, retirements, comebacks, and controversies. He always bounced back from adversity and strived to improve his game.
• Oprah Winfrey: The media mogul and philanthropist is one of the most influential and successful women in the world. She rose from poverty and abuse to become a TV host, producer, author, actress, and billionaire. She faced many hardships and obstacles in her career, such as racism, sexism, discrimination, harassment, criticism, and competition. She overcame them with her grit and passion.
• Sachin Tendulkar: The cricket legend is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He started playing cricket at the age of 11 and made his international debut at the age of 16. He played for India for 24 years and scored more than 34,000 runs and 100 centuries in all formats of the game. He faced many challenges and injuries throughout his career, such as back pain, tennis elbow, shoulder surgery, and criticism. He always recovered from adversity and strived to improve his game.
• Elon Musk: The entrepreneur and visionary behind Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company is known for his ambitious and audacious goals. He wants to revolutionize transportation, colonize Mars, merge humans with machines, and dig tunnels under cities. He has faced many challenges and failures in his endeavors, such as rocket explosions, production delays, financial crises, lawsuits, and public scrutiny. He has overcome them with his grit and determination.

How can you develop Grit?

Grit is not something that you are born with or without. It is something that you can cultivate and strengthen over time. Here are some tips on how to develop grit:

• Find your passion: Passion is the fuel that drives your perseverance. To find your passion, you need to explore your interests, values, and strengths. You need to ask yourself what you enjoy doing, what you care about, and what you are good at. You also need to experiment with different activities, hobbies, and careers. You need to find something that challenges you, excites you, and gives you a sense of purpose.
• Set your goals: Goals are the direction that guides your perseverance. To set your goals, you need to be specific, realistic, and measurable. You need to ask yourself what you want to achieve, why you want to achieve it, and how you will achieve it. You also need to break down your long-term goals into short-term and medium-term goals. You need to have a clear plan of action and a timeline for your progress.
• Practice your skills: Skills are the tools that enable your perseverance. To practice your skills, you need to be deliberate, consistent, and feedback-oriented. You need to ask yourself what skills you need to develop or improve, how you will practice them, and how you will measure your improvement. You also need to seek feedback from experts, mentors, or peers who can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. You need to embrace mistakes and failures as opportunities to learn and grow.
• Embrace challenges: Challenges are the tests that strengthen your perseverance. To embrace challenges, you need to be optimistic, flexible, and resourceful. You need to ask yourself what challenges you might face, how you will overcome them, and what resources you can use. You also need to adopt a positive attitude and a problem-solving mindset. You need to see challenges as temporary and solvable rather than permanent and insurmountable.
• Celebrate successes: Successes are the rewards that reinforce your perseverance. To celebrate successes, you need to be grateful, proud, and generous. You need to ask yourself what successes you have achieved, how you have achieved them, and who has helped you achieve them. You also need to express gratitude for the opportunities and support that you have received. You need to acknowledge your efforts and achievements without being arrogant or complacent. You need to share your successes with others and inspire them to pursue their own goals.

Conclusion

Grit is a powerful psychological trait that can improve your mental health and boost your performance goals. It is not something that you have or don’t have. It is something that you can develop and apply in any area of life that matters to you.

By finding your passion, setting your goals, practicing your skills, embracing challenges, and celebrating successes, you can cultivate grit and achieve more than you ever thought was possible.

So, what are you waiting for? Start developing grit today and see the difference it can make in your life!