G.R.I.T.

G.R.I.T

You’ve heard the phrase, “Grit and determination”, I’m sure. Used in many contexts it implies a hard fought win and a level of resilience unsurpassed to achieve something of importance.

I see my role in sport and exercise psychology as well as in psychotherapy and coaching as breaking down the psychobabble to the true understanding of WHAT IT TAKES to actually achieve, change and revolutionize your life.

GRIT is about HOLDING ON.

It may literally be about working on that grip strength in the gym. But equally it could be about hanging in there to complete study or staying the course in therapy because even though its hard, its worth it.

I’ve teased you with the acronym GRIT. But let me tell you how I choose to break this down.

G – Goals

 Having a goal, a plan, a strategy, an aim. Are they SMART? 

R – Revolution

 Fundamental change in perception of oneself. Shifts in mindset and behaviours. Breakthrough old habits and limitations

I – Identity

 A new version of you forged in the hardship of the GRIT. Becoming and embodying the change/outcome you want to see

T - Tenacity

 Resilience in the face of opposition, tough times and hardship. Belief in what you are aiming for.

GRIT doesn’t just happen. We have to work on our AWARENESS and PRESENCE with the thing we are doing.

Here’s the science bit;

1)      Mental reframing. The prefrontal cortex learns to adapt to discomfort by reshaping your decision making, self-control & impulse regulation and problem-solving & reasoning  as well as emotional regulation

2)      Emotional regulation. The limbic system manages motivation and reward as well as our survival instincts. Think, fight or flight, stay or go, quit or keep going. We need to regulate our fear response for things that are just hard, not life threatening.

3)      Reward system rewire. The dopamine neurotransmitter and nucleus accumbens are the brains reward circuitry, influencing the motivation, pleasure and reward cycle. We need to reset what we get pleasure from. Think, why do some people enjoy the pain of running a marathon?

4)      Identity recalibration. Redefining self concept. Moving away from limiting beliefs and instilling belief in oneself. Think, reframe “I’m someone who fails” to “I’m someone who learns from setbacks”

Real world interventions – The pearls made from the grit!

To develop the grit that helps us see things through or keep going through hard times we have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Lean into pain (literal and emotional), doubt and fear as this is where the mental rewiring occurs.

·       Pain

Learn to mentally reframe the experience by focusing on each step individually rather than projecting forwards into the wider picture, end goal or outcome.

·       Doubting Yourself

Evidence every single small win you make – you are progressing

·       Fear

Can I do this? Will it work? What ifs…

Strategise your SMART goal for optimum results,

Discipline yourself to turn up everyday, don’t wait for motivation to hit, you will never “feel ready” just get on with it.

Work on those limiting beliefs in coaching

And finally,

Most people quit the things they are working on LONG BEFORE they burn out.

Your limits are defined by you.

Small changes = big wins

If you’ve never experienced true challenge, having to dig deep and persevere, your brain has no wiring to understand that it is survivable – you have to create that knowledge.

Understand that you can change your brain, create new learning pathways that link to reinforced behavioral change and results in feeling good.

KEEP HOLDING ON.