Grit: The Pathway to Greatness
Why certain people end up quitting while others kept going? I think, I have the answer.
Is grit really that important? It is quite often that we hear people, questioning the importance of grit and to be fair, their skepticism is justifiable. I mean, irrespective of the availability of a load of literature on this subject-matter, be it in the form of books or movies, a number of individuals are still confused about the true meaning of grit.
Why is that so? One primary reason for all this perplexity is that all these books and movies have this habit of explaining the simplest of the things in the most complicated of the ways. As a result, this practice doesn’t provide solutions rather it creates more problems. Thus, it is imperative to address this particular subject and I believe, there is no better way of doing it than starting with this saying of Kevin Hart, ‘Nothing good comes out of quitting!’ and expanding it to explain the role of grit in achieving greatness.
I happened to heard this quote a few months ago, while I was listening to Joe Rogan’s podcast with Kevin Hart. Although every bit of that podcast was worth-listening, yet the part where Kevin Hart talked about ‘Not Quitting’ really blew me away.
We all know Kevin Hart-the Comedian but I can bet you that most of us don’t really know Kevin Hart-the Person. I mean, there is no denying the fact that he is one of the most outspoken person out there. However, we are still not aware of one particular ‘aspect’ of his personality and I didn’t know it either until I listened to that podcast. The way Kevin talked about a number of serious issues and provided his valuable insight on several ideas, it really surprised me. And that’s exactly the reason, I am talking about right now.
During the podcast, Hart was quite eloquent about his belief of ‘Not Quitting’ because his mama once taught him that ‘Nothing good comes out of quitting’ and that line really touched my heart. Why? Because I could relate to this line as I learned this, years ago, that quitters never win and as someone once said, winners never quit.
Nonetheless, the question is why certain people end up quitting while the others kept going? I think it can be answered in the words of Eric Barker that it is the grit that keeps people going when things get hard. Eric Barker in his book, Barking Up the Wrong Tree, also explained that grit often comes from stories, stories of great people who achieve great heights in their lives and refuse to give up when adversity hits them hard. All these stories of successful writers, entrepreneurs and sports moguls suggest only one thing that grit is certainly the pathway to greatness.
Furthermore, grit isn’t something that we can only learn from these success stories rather even in the lives of normal beings, one of the major catalysts that keep them moving is grit. So, to say that it sounds good only in stories or books is nothing but an effort to undermine the true value of grit.
Moreover, speaking from my personal experience, an individual can’t make a positive change in his life or he can’t make things work out for him as long as he is waiting for others to give him a hand. If you want to get up, you have to do it yourself. No one will/can do it for you. And even if someone is there, helping you with your problems, he/she can’t solve them for you. In the end, your fortitude and resilience, among other things, are the key factors which can enable you to shrug off your misery and affliction.
We all are well aware that life is not without hardships and trials and there has been a lot of discussion about it ever since the birth of mankind. Additionally, we all have been taught in one way or the other that no matter how difficult it may seem, perseverance and hard work can always outsmart the adversity.
In short, over the years, we have witnessed and some of us have also experienced that man can always fight adversity with his outrageous mental toughness and unwavering belief. Or should I conclude by saying that every time it seems like things will not change for good, grit can come in handy as it can always make the difference, whatsoever.