Would humankind have survived without the ability to work hard on our goals? It is a simple question. Without grit, humankind would possibly be extinct. It was our durability, our stick-to-itiveness, that we as a species have thrived. “… One characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success. It wasn’t social intelligence, it wasn’t good looks, physical health, and it wasn’t IQ: It was grit. Grit is passion and perseverance for very long term goals. Grit is having stamina.
Grit is sticking with your future, day in and day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years; and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint. “( Angela Lee Duckworth, The key to success? Grit. ) Angela Lee Duckworth explained that grit was what was overall linked to a person’s success. To me, grit is one of the most important things to have when it comes to success and accomplishing a goal. We all have stories of grit in our own lives. People who’ve we’ve looked up to, or ways we ourselves have surpassed obstacles and succeeded.
My personal example of grit, was the hard road I took, trying to learn English. I was young, the age of six, when I first came to America. I could speak broken English, with a very heavy Indian accent. It was hard, seeing as my mother was a literary fanatic. The idea that her daughter was having trouble with a language that she fell in love with overseas, was hard for her to bear. I could barely write, and being in a classroom with people who spoke it so often, it was tough. I was put into ESL, which was an English learning program, for people who spoke English as a second language. My teacher was a kindhearted woman, named Mrs. Armano.
She and I worked, and little by little, I began to learn English. Everyday, she and I would converse and speak. In about one and a half years, I could speak English fluently. It was amazing, with my own hard work I was able learn English, a language that was so daunting. Despite the strange rules, and my difficulty with grammar, I was able to speak. Now, my vocabulary has expanded beyond what I ever thought possible. I myself, have demonstrated grit, a trait I didn’t know existed until a short while ago. Art and literature have always needed some grit to be tackled. Not many weak hearted people have decided to get into the arts.
One, I have found, had decided to get into the arts, even though the odds were stacked against him. Vincent Van Gogh, was an extraordinary artist, though not many believed that when he was alive. Van Gogh found beauty in the world around him and has captivated our hearts with his lively and colourful paintings. The artist was eccentric, and only sold one painting during his lifetime. If he found so much disappointment, when it came to the sales and how the public perceived his art, then why didn’t he quit painting? He had grit, something few people truly have. He continued to paint, even though, he was depressed.
He continued to paint, even though, people didn’t like his art style. He continued to paint, even though, his mind was tortured by the mental illnesses he suffered from. And now, after he is dead, we recognize the genius and the hard work that he put into his paintings, and his willingness to pursue his art career. The grit he demonstrated was exemplary, and the world is happier for it. In the world, many of us have been oppressed and silence. The chance to fight against the oppression, to stick towards justice and righteousness, even when you’re being pushed down, is something that has been exhibited throughout history.
One story that has been like this, is the story of Jackie Robinson. Robinson was the first black man to play in major league baseball and to be in an integrated team. Robinson was told when he first came into the job, that he would be abused and called names. He knew before he started that people would refuse to accept him into baseball. Yet he still went in. When he did, he was called names, he was taunted. Some of his team members even threatened to sit out at games he was included in. He refused to give up, even in the face of oppression. This determination, payed out.
Jackie Robinson changed baseball history. He was a phenomenal baseball player, but that wasn’t what made me write about him. His grit was impeccable. He stuck to baseball, even though, he could have easily given up. No one would have blamed him, he was in a tough situation. He persevered, though and ended up changing the face of the civil rights movement. Grit is important in the world we live in, because it is essential in our fight to progress. If people didn’t have grit, or believe that grit was the way to accomplish our goals, then we might not have had most of what makes us human.
We might not have had the Pyramids of Giza, freedom in America, and an end to slavery all over the world. We need grit in every age, and all over the world. You need grit to fight for what you believe in, to reach your goals, and pursue your dreams. Continuous hard work and struggle are what people have done to reach their goals in the past, and most probably in the future. Grit can be used in all people’s lives. To stick to goals, instead of jumping around and abandoning them. So, I ask you to look for where you can incorporate grit into your lives.