Finding Your Grit
Finding Grit
Grit is the drive that makes us continue on with something over and over again until we succeed. That could be an athletic skill, or writing, or weight management.
As I’ve been reading about grit, I realized a lifestyle change takes a lot of grit. To make a permanent change, it must be practiced over, and over, and over again. It’s a skill that won’t come easily, but definitely worth all the hard work.
Developing Grit
I believe we all have grit, we just have to learn how to develop it, but I’m learning that where I thought I had grit wasn’t necessarily correct. For instance, I thought I had grit when it came to writing, and I do, but not for the reasons I thought I did.
I’ve written over 20 books, but I’ve only published 3 of those novels. And you’d think completing that many books would show I have grit, but what it shows me is that back then I didn’t have the grit to make those books publishable. When I hit a snag I moved on to a new project. It took me years to develop the grit to stick with a project and work and rework it until it was publishable.
Grit and Weight Loss
I am convinced I’m finding grit in my weight loss quest. While I have had several stumbling blocks on my journey, grit has me getting back up, brushing myself off and starting again. As much as I don’t want to believe it, the key to maintaining a healthy weight is eating when I’m hungry, stop when I’m full, and exercise regularly.
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, I am participating in the Pole, Pedal, Paddle next year. I will be doing the five mile run and the half a mile sprint. When I first considered doing this, I had no doubt I would finish, but it never occurred to me that I could do more than just plod across the finish line.
Progress
After hearing Angela Duckworth, author of Grit, the Power of Passion and Perseverance, speak on Freakonomics Radio, I was struck by the idea I could do better than just finishing. I could increase my speed. The idea was shocking since I’ve always envisioned myself as the tortoise versus the hare when I run. I thought you either had speed or you didn’t. Turns out that with grit, that’s not the case.
I reported in my blog that my first run time 3 weeks ago was a 15 minute mile. Now, 3 weeks later after running every other day, I am averaging 11:25 minutes a mile, and I’m up to 2 miles. Next week I will increase that to 2.5 miles.
My current goal is to get reach the 5 mile mark, then work on increasing my speed.
Find Your Grit
I’m convinced we can all exercise no matter what our age or ability. We just have to find the grit to unlock our potential, whether it’s walking, running, biking, kayaking, or hiking, you can do it. You 
just have to find the activity that fits you and get started!