The sky was yellow and the sun was blue – how to take yourself to the next level

Technology changes everything but do you have grit? Every brand today will cease to exist if it does not change with the times and technology.  ‘Voice first’ for all Internet searches will be in place by 2020.  This includes in your home, in your car, and on your phone.  You need to be open to change to succeed.  There are two test markets in operation today with drone delivery.  With a web order you can get tacos delivered by a drone in 5-20 minutes.  Every drone has cameras and Machine Learning (ML) will enable the drones to understand what they see.  However, with this digital transformation, there is still no substitute for grit.  Embracing change combined with old fashioned hard work will get you to the next level and beyond.

Could be an illusion but I might as well try, might as well try – are you making enough money?  Is your career where you expected it to be?  Here’s the keys to ramping up your energy level and success. I know what you are saying, I couldn’t possibly make more than I do today.  And, why would I want yet another promotion?  Super “how to” classics were written by Dale Carnegie, Steven Covey, and Zig Zigler but that was before the social media paradigm and the modern economy with the likes of Amazon, Walmart, and ubiquitous Cloud computing. 

New paradigm – start by reading the new classics yearly: Crushing it, Gary Vaynerchuk Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi and The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Grant Cardone.

So what is Grit ?  Let’s see how you measure up.

• Courage.
• Conscientiousness: Achievement Oriented vs. Dependable.
• Long-Term Goals and Endurance: Follow Through.
• Resilience: Optimism, Confidence, and Creativity.
• Excellence vs. Perfection

With regards to the character of kids, there seems to be growing concern that kids these days are growing soft.  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, grit in the context of behavior is defined as “firmness of character; indomitable spirit.” Angela Duckworth, a grit researcher aptly tweaked this definition to be “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.”

Courage – while courage is hard to measure, it is directly proportional to your level of grit. More specifically, your ability to manage fear of failure is imperative and a predictor of success. The supremely gritty are not afraid to tank, but rather embrace it as part of a process. They understand that there are valuable lessons in defeat and that the vulnerability of perseverance is requisite for high achievement.  One who at the worst, if he/she fails, at least fails while daring greatly.  Some believe that the current trend of coddling our youth, by removing competition in sports for example, is preventing some kids from actually learning how to fail and to embrace it as an inevitable part of life.  In our effort to protect our kids from disappointment are we inadvertently harming them?

Conscientiousness: Achievement Oriented vs. Dependable – the achievement-oriented individual is one who works tirelessly, tries to do a good job, and completes the task at hand, whereas the dependable person is more notably self-controlled and conventional.

Long-Term Goals and Endurance: Follow Through – “… achievement is the product of talent and effort, the latter a function of the intensity, direction, and duration of one’s exertions towards a long-term goal.”  In his 2007 best selling book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell examines the conditions required for success.  They are talent, access to coaching, and lots of practice…10,000 hours to be precise.  That’s where long-term goals come in. They provide the context and framework in which to find the meaning and value of your long-term efforts, which helps cultivate drive, sustainability, passion, courage, stamina…grit.

Resilience: Optimism, Confidence, and Creativity – of course, on your long haul to greatness you’re going to stumble, and you will need to get back up on the proverbial horse. But what is it that gives you the strength to get up, wipe the dust off, and remount? Gritty people believe, “everything will be alright in the end, and if it is not alright, it is not the end.”

Excellence vs. Perfection – in general, gritty people don’t seek perfection, but instead strive for excellence. It may seem that these two have only subtle distinctions; but in fact they are quite at odds.  Certainly there are times when “perfection” is necessary to establish standards, like in performance athletics such as diving and gymnastics. But in general, perfection is someone else’s perception of an ideal. Anxiety, low self-esteem, obsessive compulsive disorder, substance abuse, and clinical depression are only a few of the conditions ascribed to “perfectionism.”  These are barriers to success.

Once in a while you get shown the light.  Are you using Instagram stories and Facebook Live? These technological gems are game changers so explore them.  If you take away one thing from this guide let it be this, everything is attainable if you focus on what you are passionate about, demonstrate to all that you care, and work extremely hard.  This means 10-16 hours a day – there is no substitute for effort and the journey is the reward.

Check back soon for my next blog post – 20 romantic dates.