Fit for Life: Do You Have What it Takes?

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Matt Espeut, Health & Lifestyle Contributor

 

View Larger +

PHOTO: File

A few weeks ago, a member paid me a great compliment.

She sent me a Ted Talk with an attached message saying, "This reminded me of you."

So I immediately listened, wondering what content from this talk reminded her of me.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

 

The speaker in the talk was a woman who had researched what it takes to become more successful in life. She became a middle school teacher and observed the character traits of the highest-performing students.

 

She gave tests and then calculated grades, finding that IQ wasn't the deciding factor separating her higher and lower-performing students.

 

She observed that her highest performers didn't have the highest IQs, and her smartest kids weren't doing well. She concluded that doing well in life required more than just the ability to learn quickly and easily.

 

She then went on to become a psychologist and continued to study different groups of people to understand and differentiate the patterns between who would succeed and who wouldn't.

 

She found that it wasn't IQ, as IQ was just a measurable. It wasn't social intelligence, good looks, physical ability, good health, natural talent, economic status, race or religion.

 

What she found to be the deciding factor in success and performance was GRIT!!

 

Grit is having passion and perseverance for a very long time to achieve your goals.

 

Have the stamina and stick with your future goals, not for a day, week, or month, but by getting up and working every day, every day, towards your future and goals.  

 

After listening to that podcast, I was elated that someone thought of me on that level.

 

To say I came to mind when she heard the term True Grit was a fantastic compliment that made my day because after analyzing the situation, I realized that the level of success I have accomplished to date wasn't because of my education, or socioeconomic status, it's due to my grit and ability to get up every day and work my ass off, even on the day's I don't feel like it.

 

She also states in the talk that science isn't sure how to build grit or knows little about it.

She said that people are always asking how to build grit in kids, motivate them over the long term, and build a solid work ethic. Her answer was… I really don't know. (The crowd laughed.)

 

She introduced the concept of a growth mindset, which she described as her best idea for developing grit. She believes that the ability to learn isn't fixed; it can change with one's level of effort.

 

As you may know by now, I am a big believer in personal self-development, and I will never stop learning new things, regardless of my age. I will continue to surround myself with more intelligent and successful people and attend seminars and conferences to enhance my learning and growth.

 

What you just read was the findings of an educated person who did extensive research and studying on the topic. Now, I will add my two cents and give you the results I have discovered on building grit.

 

Now, I don't know this woman's background or what adversity she has lived through, so I don't want to discount what she has experienced personally; I am just giving my opinion from my perspective and the adversity I have lived through.

 

First and foremost, to develop grit, in addition to having a growth mindset, you need to do hard shit and continue to do so every day. I have put myself through a 75-hour Navy Seal-based training, done the Death Race, Spartan Beast, and numerous others to develop a true grit, no-quit attitude.

 

You don't need to take things to extreme levels to develop grit. You just need to regularly put yourself in uncomfortable situations and develop the habits of consistency.

 

Working out daily, even when tired and short on time, taking cold showers, working out in the rain, sticking to a good diet, and facing adversity head-on are simple ways to start developing grit.

 

Remember, being intelligent and physically fit won't guarantee your success, but having grit will enhance your ability to become even healthier and smarter than you are now. It takes time and effort over the long haul to achieve success in these areas.

 

I look at all the people who have given up on themselves over the years and now realize that it wasn't because they didn't want to be successful; they just lacked the grit, drive, and determination to follow through with their goals.

 

Even when you fail at something- and we all will at some point in our lives- it takes grit to get back up and brush yourself off so you can get back into the ring and fight another day.

 

Remember, failure is feedback; if you don't fail sometimes, you aren't trying hard enough.

 

So I will leave you with this.

 

It doesn't matter who you are, where you were born, or what goals you have in mind if you want to separate yourself from the mediocre, low performers, and underachievers, develop your growth mindset, do hard things, and develop the grit and tenacious attitude to attack each and every day over a long period.

 

Your success is your responsibility.

Coach Matt

 

Related Articles

 

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

 
 

Sign Up for the Daily Eblast

I want to follow on Twitter

I want to Like on Facebook