Compete With Grit

The Mill:  Bare with me on this one it might be a little rough.  Trying to shake off the cobwebs.

It's a marathon not a sprint.  That's something my baseball coach used to preach to a bunch of 18-22 year old guys.  I took it for what I thought it was then and adopted it.  At first I was a little confused when he would say it, and just go out and play.  It's a long season with a lot of ups and downs.  Stay the course.  Then I used it with our team the other night.  We played really well, but some things didn't go our way.  It's a marathon not a sprint.  Then we had a long discussion about that little extra that everyone can give to make the team work.  That little extra called grit.  Grit is more than a fitness fad or bumper sticker.  Grit is a little bit more than the usual effort.  It's finding that passion and enthusiasm to continue on the journey.  It's more than a game, a season, a career.  Grit has to last, and people with grit last.

Thinking back to my basketball days in high school as a senior our team was not that talented.  We played with a lot of great individual stars over the course of the previous three years but something was different.  Grit was different.  Working together can change the game.  I played on a few teams like that in college too.  We were very seldom the most talented, but it was the grit that made us successful.  We won many games on grit alone.  One more inning with your legs or one more inning with something else because your team needs you.  When doing things with passion and enthusiasm being 'good' at something can be developed.  The grit, that I tell our team, has to come from inside you and develop within the framework of things that you can control at the moment.  You can control how much enthusiasm you put into something.  In baseball or basketball terms, I want the guy who is going to lay out for something when it matters least.  Compete with grit.  That's all anyone is asking of you, and what you should ask of yourself on a daily basis.  How do you measure grit?  It's sticking with your plan, and working hard to make it happen.  My wife has taught me a lot about grit over the years.  She is the most determined person I know.  For some those long term goals might be the season.  When I was in high school, my long term goal was to win by hard work.  Now my long term goal is being a good dad and husband.  Failure can lead to a diminish in your grit and grind.  Having grit or developing grit can help you overcome failure.  Failure keeps us humble and grounded, and I believe now that grit is a magic word.  Grit should be in everyone's vocabulary to continue to work towards their goals.  Life is a process, and we can get better with hard work and perseverance.  Failure is just another obstacle testing you and your durability.  Remember it's the Next Play.

Looking back I always thought I had grit or had 'what it takes'.  I don't know for what, but I thought it was there.  After our recent move I noticed that I lost it.  I stopped blogging, my training was sub-par and my coaching came to a halt.  The grit was gone.  Enthusiasm came and went, but it wasn't steady.  Then it came right back and smacked me in the face.  I don't know if something happened, but I felt back.  Like about as back as I could get.  It's keeping those long-term goals in mind while accomplishing your short-term goals.  Compete with grit everyday.  Grit outweighs talent. I had some really awesome coaches (one being my dad) that always said no other coach will out work them.  They might be better, but they're not going to out work them.  That's grit.  Always on display.  If you happen to lose it just try to refocus and conquer it.  It's that little bit extra that you need to find to perform tasks with enthusiasm, passion and perseverance.  It's experiencing failures and bouncing back with three key ingredients.  It's too easy to give up.  I know a handful of people who have tremendous grit, and they have taught me a lot about perseverance.  And I am truly blessed that they are all in my life.

Make it happen and show your grit.

  
Shout out to anyone who still reads this blog and my awesome wife and son.  How about a retweet, like, share or anything else you deem necessary.

In just a few short weeks you will all see a picture of our new addition.  How do you like that cliff hanger?