Face Slapper - Wake Up Call #
Brian Tracy on X during a recent live broadcast asked “… if you could only develop one habit so you could be more successful and happy, what would it be?”
For me the answer was instant, like something from deep inside screaming to get out - Grit.
Lately, I’ve been..
- Getting lazy
- Not taking ownership for results.
- Giving people excuses before even asking the question. “They won’t help me on this, I won’t bother them.”
- Taking breaks the moment I get a little tired.
- Quitting when frustration shows up.
- Giving 25 minutes when I agreed to 30.
- Too many “special exception” excuses.
I could go on. Bottom line: I wasn’t showing grit — I wasn’t owning the results. I was settling for whatever results came my way - mediocrity.
Building Grit #
Awareness was the first step. I expect much more of myself. Over the next 99 days (I chose that number for a reason) I will share my progress towards increasing my “grittiness”. What it looks like, how I measure progress, and what results I getting on the way. I will summarize the experience in a long-form future blog post.
What is Grit? #
Here is my definition: Grit is the blend of passion, perseverance, and resilience that drives a person to keep working toward long-term goals despite setbacks, obstacles, or slow progress. It’s more than talent or intelligence; grit reflects the ability to stay committed, put in consistent effort, and push forward even when the work becomes difficult or discouraging. People with grit don’t rely on bursts of motivation alone — they build habits of discipline, maintain focus through challenges, and measure success by persistence as much as by outcomes.
It is the opposite of how I was living.
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