Do you have grain?
What role does Grit play in your life?
After finishing a long scientific article picked up by the national media,
my mind asks the question sub-vox,
“What is the writer saying in plain English?”
If I leave the answer blank, the page is deleted.
“A Penn researcher who studies high achievers says it’s not IQ, grades or leadership skills that lead to success. It’s good old-fashioned perseverance.”
The essence of the research is that success in everything has to do with ‘passion’,
(intense emotion), which is awakened through ‘grit’. A synonym for determination is courage or willpower, heart, and perseverance.
And?
The pro forma response should now list all the ‘positive’ emotions they produce
passion and courage, starting with love, joy and peace of mind.
Surprise! The intense emotions that trigger determination begin with anger, envy, fear, and jealousy. In fact, we are motivated ten to one by ‘negative emotions’ to create massive changes in our lives.
“That’s not fair! I deserved that promotion. I’m smarter than her. Look at that.”
New Mercedes in your driveway, son of a-… It should be mine. something has to
exchange! And the negative feedback killer motivator, “You can’t talk to me like that!”
University of Pennsylvania professor Angela Lee Duckworth says the secret
of value is ‘to doggedly pursue something for the long term’. sure you know
But since the typical American watches TV for up to five hours a day, who has time for
guts and/or passion?
Left and right brain skills
What about ‘ordinary people’, without exaggerated IQs, who create extraordinary
successes?
“Persistence and determination is the secret because we learn from our ‘mistakes’.
Working on a skill daily produces ‘Kaizen’, small improvements that
add up to massive reactions. We improve, little by little, until we own the ability.
or knowledge through practice”.
Why do they call it ‘trial and error’ and not ‘trial and success’?
Reply.
We learn through our mistakes and rejections, not from our successes because the secret is
negative feedback. Mistakes make us feel stupid and we get angry. The result is beating ourselves up to learn how to avoid these mental and emotional insults.
Once we have learned the successful strategy, we keep repeating it until it continues.
autopilot. That is called programming or conditioning, not learning. we learn by
obsessing over our mistakes and rejections (negative feedback) and demanding
a practical solution.
Successful people become compulsive to overcome their ignorance in a particular area; negativity causes passion and determination. When you could spit out nails in frustration, another negative emotion, you’re bound to win.
Courage and passion reinforced each other, activating our left and right brains in a 75/25% ratio, instead of the normal 90/10. Courage (grit), changes the structure and function of our brain, starting with our state of mind. interrupt
your comfort zone, and you will work 90 hours a week to pass the Lawyer exam
because your own image is at stake.
examples
Determination research on 1,223 West Point freshmen best predicted success
than IQ, SAT scores and past grades. This determination thing was a better predictor of winning than anything else for contestants in a National Spelling Bee, and kids in
an elite preparatory school. It applies to them, and to all of us.
Until you get angry, excite the amygdala in your brain, you and I will look for distractions and refuse to spend time winning the marbles. If you’re not negatively passionate about something, it’s a pipe dream, not a reality.
final words
Professor Duckworth has the nerve to say: determination is more important than intelligence.
Grit (heart), trains us to overcome obstacles. She is working on how
train people to have this gritty ability.
The reason guts and passion are in short supply is not the availability of television, the Internet, and video games. It is boredom that covers us like a wet blanket in a
storm every time we decide that what we are reading, watching and listening to is not linked
For our benefit. Remember the powerful question: WIIFM (What’s in it for me?)?
Our ego has this WIIFM sign pinned to the screen of our imagination. There’s a
log out immediately as soon as the answer is ‘Nothing!’
Courage and passion keep us focused on discovering the details of any new idea or knowledge that is in sync with our deepest needs and desires.
Convince us that we can benefit from what you have to say, and we’re all glued to
the chair in a trance Professor Abraham Maslow said, ‘Self-interest puts us
in the flow, in the zone, and produces a peak experience.’
All it takes is guts to respond WIIFM, with “A lot!”
A. Einstein said: “None of my discoveries came from logical thinking. Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
Edward Lorenz at MIT, created The Butterfly Effect, and its principle,
“Small changes lead to massive reactions. Predictability: Does the flipper
from the wings of a butterfly in Brazil, caused a tornado in Texas?”
Finally
Can you answer these two questions?
1. What was the last thing that made you obsessive-compulsive?
2. What does it take to awaken your determination and passion?
Our system for training people to have value is not to talk ad nauseam, but to offer
specific skills to deal with boredom and normal distractions.
We call them BIS(TM) Behavioral Intelligence Strategies, two-minute power programs
to condition your mind for determination and passion.
You will recognize them by the six steps to practice. it’s always your decision
if you learn these techniques.
Do you have to lose your income (downsizing, outsourcing, merger, or bankruptcy) before you get angry enough to decide to change your destiny?
My friend’s mom from San Antonio used to say, “A little grits goes a long way.”
Be brave and win your personal game.
See ya,
copyright ©
H. Bernard Wechsler