What do you think is the true secret to success? Do you think it's talent, luck, wealth, serendipity, or something else?
As per Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval, authors of Grit to Great: How Perseverance, Passion, and Pluck Take You From Ordinary to Extraordinary, the answer is grit.
Based on their research and the anecdotes they share, having the drive to keep working through thick and thin, overcoming obstacles as they come along, and just keep going is what it takes. And many of the true successes through the centuries were not the people born with a silver spoon or extra helpings of talent, but those whose unlucky start in life taught them to persevere.
To be successful, one must be like the bamboo. Unlike all other woods, the bamboo is flexible, grows in all types of climates, is ready to be used as is, and is the last standing in a tornado. The bamboo is able to adapt and that is a key aspect of grit: not only to keep going but to be flexible and adapt to lessons learned and hardships experienced.
I can definitely relate to the need for hard work and am encouraged that grit is enough to overcome a late start or other misfortunes. But the question or difficulty comes in knowing what is worth persevering for and when it is better to quit and redirect that focus.
Sometimes either you, plans, or life changes and the thing you've been working hard for falls short. If that thing is still your passion, your dream, the thing you need to do above all else, or something you still believe in, then yes, keep going. But if you find that you were wrong or for whatever reason you no longer believe, sometimes you need to let go to be able to move on and find your true dream.
Adaptation comes in different flavors as does grit.
Have you overcome with grit? Have you had to let go to and redirect for success?
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