Got Grit?

“You can be whatever you want to be when you grow up,” my mom would tell me often when I was a child.  She would go on to explain that I had to chart my own course and figure out how to arrive.  And as moms are want to be – she was right.

But what my mom failed to mention was that not everyone would seem to agree with her.  There would be many hurdles for young women like me – one being that we’re young women.

I find today’s society filled with buzzing commentary from naysayers and supporters, alike, who doubt the future of women in our country or, more specifically, women in business.  They question whether we, as the millennial generation, have what it takes to carry the torch forward.  They question, for instance, why we do not self-identify as feminists at a time when it seems we cannot even define the term or decide whether the label is necessary. FOX’s Megyn Kelly, for example, recently disclosed that .

Then I think of other female leaders, like Sheryl Sandberg, who questions in her recent book, Lean In, whether it is possible for women to “have it all”; whether women should even want “it all” and, if we do, whether we can “do it all.”

These are heavy topics and the important discussion should continue to play out in the public discourse.  I must confess, however, that sometimes I find the doubt and negativity totally eclipse the undeniable progress that women have made and the promise that I see in our generation as we continue to move forward.

So, I’m writing to share some encouraging news.

To my fellow Millennials who are tired of the doubters, the haters, the unfaithful, the naysayers, I have one thing to say to you – we got this.  Our moms were right: we can be whatever you want to be, but we’ve got to be willing to stay in the game and fight for it.

Need some support?  Let’s try Angela Duckworth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania.   Professor Duckworth studies why people succeed.  The answer is not IQ, gender, or education: Professor Duckworth tells us the answer is Grit.

Professor Duckworth defines grit as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals” and it “entails working strenuously toward challenges, maintaining effort and interest over years despite failure, adversity, and plateaus in progress.”

The Gritty individual’s advantage against competition is stamina.  When disappointment, boredom, and distraction set in for others, the Gritty person stays the course, plodding along, making progress, despite the fact that the progress may be at times just miniscule.

Under this light, success is available to those who are willing to work for it; it is not just reserved to those who are the smartest, prettiest, in control, or member of the dominant group.  Success is available to anyone who is willing to identify a goal and be Gritty in sticking with it. And just like being outgoing, talkative, funny, serious, or silly, being Gritty is a learned behavior.  This means that we can train ourselves to be Grittier over time and better ensure that we too reach our own goals.

And what better way to start training ourselves to be Grittier than by learning where we stand on Duckworth’s own Grit Scale?

Take the Grit Test here then give us your thoughts on the results.

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