Skip to main content

Got Grit?


Over lunch, I try to make time to read about a chapter from an inspirational book, something that prompts me to want to grow and learn. In January, I finished Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes. Only took me 3 MONTHS to complete. Why so long? No, I am not a slow reader. What it came down to is time.

I used to consume books like food. Once when my husband and I were just dating, I asked him to hand me my purse. We were sitting on the couch and he was watching TV. I was not because I can only be entertained by television for so long. When he lifted my purse from the floor he let out an audible groan.

"Why is your purse so heavy?!"

In response, I lifted out a thick, hard cover book. His eyes grew large.

"What is that???"

"A book."

"Why is it so big?"

It was Game of Thrones. (Enough said, to my fellow readers, of course.)

I literally carried books around in my purse. Large ones. And when I was bored, in the grocery line, walking into work, sitting on my parents couch, I read. And read. And read.

I still have a stack of books begging to be opened on my night stand. But I have told myself I don't have the time. I also don't have the time to workout. Or sometimes shower.

The truth? I don't make the time. At the moment, it isn't a priority. What is a priority, is playing with my daughter, cuddling with my daughter, feeding my daughter, bathing my daughter...you get the gist.

Then, there is sleep. Beautiful, elusive sleep. That is most certainly a priority but rarely gets fulfilled.

All this to say that I am making myself read again. Right now, I am working on productive topics that would help me personally and professionally. I am currently reading Grit by Angela Duckworth. The first chapter was a wonderful introduction in what it means to be gritty and how she discovered the difference between grit and talent.

I am a writer. I just am. Like reading, the written word is etched in my veins. It is lovely, it is captivating, it is me. But I haven't made it a priority all the same. But have I abandoned my talent? Perhaps "talent" is subjective but I would say no. I believe that talent typically remains, whether or not we choose to use it or push ourselves to the very limits of our potential.

Grit pushes us, drives us. Tips us over the edge, then helps us soar.

I do not have grit. Somewhere over the years I lost it. Or maybe I never had it. I looked in the table of contents and was relieved to see that the coming chapters teach us to grow grit. I think about the moms who are earning degrees while working a full-time job and I become exhausted. I think about the activists and bloggers and CEO's and I sigh.

How do they do it? Well, they just have more grit than I do. Sleep, perhaps, is not as important and maybe neither is laundry or cooking dinner. Either way, they work hard and pursue their dreams.

The first chapter ended with these words: "Our potential is one thing. What we do with it is quite another."

I am hoping that by the time I finish this book, I have developed grit. So let's talk in another 3 months.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How does she do it?

I just began a new job. Newness is not something uncommon to me, but I am feeling a little shaken out of the comfortable situation I maintained over the past four years. "This is good for me" I repeat over and over again. And I have to say, I have never been happier at a job. But each day, I am learning there is something else I don't know. I wonder why it is that as women we believe that we must be the experts, whether it is the expert mother, the expert housekeeper or the expert professional. It is as if these titles define who we are and so we must be the very best. And what's worse is that we aren't just trying OUR best, we are competing against our friends or celebrities that we follow on Instagram. You know, those perfect moms who do everything organic and their craft times are on point. Or maybe that business owner on LinkedIn who perfectly balances her financial statements in one hand and a toddler in the other. How does she do it? And we feel gu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Woman's Worth

Luke 8:1-3 (NLT) 8 Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, 2 along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; 3 Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples. Jesus broke down cultural norms and invited women to follow him - women that the religious people of his time may have looked down upon. These were the ones he called and used for a mighty purpose. And he called them BY NAME at a time when women were not deemed worthy to even be mentioned in historic literature. Ladies, we are called with a purpose by a God who knows our faults and our past and our names. We are valuable to Him.
Post a Comment
Read more

Growth Mindset

Today I participated in a webinar about "Growth Mindsets". Essentially, if you believe that you (and others) can do anything if you work hard enough, then you have a "growth mindset". The theory revolves around mentorship and modeling this in your life. One of the resources provided centered around reframing mistakes. The text explained how young people can often feel like mistakes they make are "catastrophic". I can still remember that one of my most embarrassing moments in grade school was based on a silly little oral reading error. To sum it up, I pronounced the silent "s" in "Arkansas". Which means, yes, I swore. Out loud. In front of the entire class and my teacher. I was mortified. Growing up in a more impoverished city, I had a lower quality education. However, I took advantage of all opportunities and read everything I could get my hands on. Jane Austen was (and still is) my very favorite author. I used to read British c...
Post a Comment
Read more