Whether It’s the Chicken or the Egg, You Better Have Some Grits

Which came first: the chicken or the egg?

The chicken?

The egg?

It’s an old riddle and you must have a lot of confidence in me if you thought I was going to finally answer it for you.

To which came first, I really don’t know.

Stick with me, though, because you may find out…

Here’s another riddle…

When it comes to success, which comes first: motivation or proper goal-setting?

Motivation?

You feel inspired to go out for a walk one day so you lace up your shoes and go out for a walk. The same thing happens the next day. And, to your surprise, the day after that. You repeat this for a couple weeks and, while swept up in the wonderful feelings that go along with motivation, you decide to set an ambitious goal:

I am going to sign up, train properly
so that I make it to the starting line healthy,
and complete the Chicago 3-Day in September—
by far the longest walk I’ll have ever done.

In this case, motivation comes first.

Motivation launches you onto a path—the goal serves to clarify and better define the path.

Goal Setting?

Late one night, knowing you need to make a change, on a whim you decide:

In August, I’m going to bike—fully packed
so that I can camp along the way—
from Minnesota to Virginia.

You buy a bike the next day. You ride it around a lake. You do the same thing the next day. And the next. On the fourth day you start researching biking shorts. Then you go look for a good tent. And, day by day—what started out as a whim starts to get more and more exciting—you’re finding that motivation is building.

In this case, the goal comes first.

The goal gets you on a defined path—motivation eventually accelerates your progress down the path.

So far the moral of this blog post: when it comes to riddles, I’m not much help.

Which came first:

The chicken?

The egg?

Motivation?

Goal-setting?

I really have no clue which comes first.

But, whether it’s the chicken or the egg, I do know one thing…

…You Better Have Some Grit(s)

When it comes to success, both motivation and proper goal-setting lead to a crucial initial outcome: forward progress.

The challenge, though, becomes sustaining forward progress.

And this is where a daily side of grit(s) is a must.

Success, in any endeavor, is going to—at some point—be a grind. Therefore, building up your grit muscle is indispensable to your success.

What is Grit?

In its most well-known form, Angela Duckworth, author of Grit, defines grit as “the intersection of passion and perseverance.”

In other words, grit is blending the motivation that you already have on your path toward your goal with steadfastness—being dutifully firm and unwavering—day in and day out.

Let’s put it another way:

Grit is merging your motivation with persistence to see your goal through, regardless of circumstances thrown at you.

Need another way to think about it?

Try this:

In a world full of distractions and millions of alternative choices, grit is combining motivation with the self-control to stay on your goal path by resisting those more comforting distractions.

One more?

Having a side of grit(s) is the required energy that you need in order to push through difficult task after difficult task on the way to your goal—regardless of your level of motivation—day after day, week after week, month after month, and, yes, sometimes…year after year.

Phew…way to persevere to deepen your understanding of grit and the necessity of grit to your success.

News Flash

Grit is something you can train.

And, the best way to train it:

“ Training this kind of gritty perseverance requires, well, training. And most experts agree, when it comes to perseverance, there’s little substitute for the physical. Work out. Engage in regular exercise. Ski, surf, or snowboard. Ride a bike, Go for walks. Lift weights. Run. Do yoga. Do Tai Chi. Whatever. Do something. ”

—Steven Kotler, The Art of Impossible

So, wherever you are along the goal-chasing journey, it would behoove you to start training your perseverance muscle.

Start today.

Get active.

Do it again the day after.

Measure your progress.

As you move forward, incrementally push a little harder.

Stay outside your comfort zone a little longer—30 seconds over an extended period of time eventually adds up to a lot.

And, as you progress, don’t forget to prepare for failure by having a plan.

On days that seem impossible, have a low-grit exercise: walk 10 minutes come rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Over time, in building your perseverance muscle in the physical realm, you’ll learn that the same principles apply to other areas of your life—perhaps those areas of your life that align with that BIG, SCARY, HAIRY GOAL you’re pursuing.

Whether its the chicken or the egg—motivation or proper goal-setting—a tasty side of grit(s) is a must!

Oh, and one last thing because I told you to stick around.

When it comes to the old chicken and egg riddle, here’s what Emma Berthold of the Australian Academy of Science has to say:

“With amniotic eggs showing up roughly 340 million or so years ago, and the first chickens evolving at around 58 thousand years ago at the earliest, it’s a safe bet to say the egg came first.”

I guess I did have an answer for you.

Get gritty!