According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, Grit is : a hard sharp granule (as of sand). But it’s also a firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger managed to survive by his grit and guile.
Instant Gratification is another term that comes to mind when we discuss the concept of grit. Positivepsychology.com defines this as the temptation, and resulting tendency, to forego a future benefit in order to obtain a less rewarding but more immediate benefit.
As a Millennial myself, I’ve gotten sick of the term and how it has helped define a whole generation in yet another negative light. I’m not here to argue or debunk any misconceptions about these generalizations, but I have to admit, there is some truth to instant gratification being a thing of the present based on my experience (not limited to millennials, to clarify).
Starting out in an entry-level job then working my way up to management proved to be challenging. I noticed that compared to many friends of mine, a lot have moved between jobs within the span of 6 months to a year.
I was one of the few lucky ones who got into the industry I immediately wanted. I was the few lucky ones who managed to jump into a strong start-up that allowed me to become a manager within a few years. In larger, older, and more established companies, the climb up that corporate ladder takes much longer. This isn’t limited to the corporate world, mind you. This can apply to those who aspire to start their own business and become an entrepreneur.
I acknowledge the struggles that come with today’s job seekers and entrepreneurs – it’s definitely not as easy as before, and those who have succeeded much earlier on had more resources and people to back them up in case of failure. Most of us don’t have that luxury (not invalidating their hard work of course), but I want to focus beyond all that.
Going back to grit.
For those who have graduated in prestigious schools, I’ve seen way too many of them decline entry-level jobs due to generally lower salary and benefits despite the potential for growth. They expect much higher price tag due to their schooling, which to some degree is of course reasonable, but they can’t seem to balance this with the expectations of the real world. Again, setting aside the horrible economy we are in, I realized that one thing that people who expect so much immediately lacks one thing: having a vision for the long-term.
After I graduated, I came across a fork in the road: I had an option to choose between a job with a very high salary in a very well-known company. I was chosen among very few top candidates, and I was very much humbled to be given this rare offer. Conversely, I had another offer – one of the start-up that was in its humble beginnings, maybe just 20-30 employees present, with a very sub-par salary and quite frankly, practically non-existent benefits. It took sometime to weigh what I really wanted, but in the end, after weeks and weeks of thinking:
I chose the second option. I knew that despite the immediate satisfaction of the first company’s salary, I would not have grown into a leadership role (which is really what I want) at the rate I have now. I was given more than I bargained for in terms of work, yes, but none that I regret. It took a lot of grit, and a lot of going back and forth of resigning many times due to the amount of work vis-a-vis my paycheck, but I can say that I’ve grown so much more than I could have ever imagined. I pictured this: if I can grow into a leadership role but it doesn’t turn out well with the company I chose, I would still be very valuable to other companies later on.
I am coming from a place of privilege, just to point that out. I was able to accept the job with a low salary because I had an option to to live with my parents comfortably. I acknowledge not all of us have that option.
I am still working my way up to becoming financially stable. All my choices meant sacrificing being able to live on my own and being able to live the independent life I wanted so badly. I made that tough decision because of my goal to rise up the ranks and become part of a pioneer industry, and I saw that the long-term vision I had was well worth it. Sometimes I wonder if I ever made the right decision, but through the years, I’ve been slowly feeling the fruits of my labor. It has been 3 years, and there will be definitely more years to come before I would consider myself financially stable and successful. This is a small example of what grit means, in my opinion.
Today, I have friends who have left the company (and other similar established companies) that offered high starting salaries to pursue something more meaningful to them.
If we could start looking at the long-term, we would be able to power through difficult choices and situations to achieve our dreams. It will never be overnight. It will never be just a year. It will definitely take a LOT more time, as all things will (unless you’re one of the few lucky and extraordinarily brilliant ones).
The question is, are you willing to go through all that and reject the temptations of short-term gratification for your long-term success?
Bonus resource: In this Ted Talk, Angela Duckworth, the world’s leading expert on this topic, shares how it is an important ingredient to success.
The Soft Skills Station 