Are you creating the "house of God"? Or are you merely laying bricks every day?

Angela Duckworth, scientist, teacher, and parent, has studied grit for decades and describes grit as that quality that keeps you from stopping or quitting when something becomes too difficult because you love it and want to succeed. It’s more than a commitment. It’s a passion or a calling to achieve or do something. You practice and keep working at it regardless of recognition.

People who are gritty don’t focus on the possibility of failure. Rather, they accept failure as a consequence that helps them learn something important to improve next time. Where other non-gritty people usually give up in the face of failure, gritty individuals learn and grow from the experience. And they use what they discovered to make the next iteration that much more powerful.

Grit also means individuals are engaged in their positions more deeply. They see a position as more than a "job" or "career". Gritty employees can see where their daily efforts make a difference in customers’ lives or society in general. They see a higher calling to what they do each day.

How gritty people think

Duckworth explains this well in a parable in her book:

Three brick layers are currently employed on a project to build a cathedral in town. A passerby asks one brick layer what he’s working on. His response is, "I’m laying bricks." The passerby asks the next man, who responds, "I’m working on a church." He asks the final man what he’s working towards, and the man replies, "I’m creating the house of God."

Are you creating the "house of God"? Or are you merely putting in time, laying bricks every day?

People see their work life as either a job (laying bricks), a career (building churches), or a calling (creating the house of God). Where are you on this continuum?

Changing your thoughts

One of the hardest lessons to learn is that, "you are not your thoughts." Your thoughts are part of your inner voice, that nagging nay-sayer who always says, "you can’t" or "you won’t", or "you mustn’t." Regardless, the message is the same: "Stop trying".

If this is true for you, try to reframe your thoughts. Train your inner thoughts to be more positive: "I can," "I will," I must." The more you focus on what is possible, the more grit you’ll develop.

Final thoughts

Gritty individuals don’t focus on the possibility of failure. They find the positive which motivates them to use their creativity and drive to accomplish feats where others simply give up. This is why companies focus on hiring employees with grit.

Do you want to be known as the individual with the mental toughness to keep pushing on in the face of challenges and failure? Read Angela Duckworth’s Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance to learn how to focus on a goal and relentlessly pursue it. You’ll realize both personal fulfillment and professional attainment.