In the novel “True Grit” by Charles Portis, two characters in particular have the courage, roughness, and determination you associate with the term true grit. Mattie Ross, driven by her determination to avenge the death of her father, despite her young age, recruited and partnered with a retired lawman whom many thought was guilty, yet never convicted, of lawless killings. Mattie’s courage was obvious as she continued her journey in spite of the many hardships she met including having her arm amputated after being bitten by a snake. The other character, General Rooster Cogburn, who agreed to help Mattie was physically disabled and had a serious alcohol problem, yet he was determined to do whatever he had to do to earn the money he was promised.…
Most of the tips listed on ways to improve grit said I was “realistic optimist” (Jotski, K.). This worked for me a couple quarters back when I chose to be the leader for a debate.…
The first time I experience grit was when I first went skiing for my first time at Sundown, which is a ski resort near Dubuque. At first I did not like skiing, because I would always fall, but I was determined to be a good skier. By my second time at Sundown I started to get the hang of it. By my third night I could go down all the hills in a controlled manner, then I started to really enjoy skiing. I then found out if I keep on working and try my hardest on something it will always pay off in the end. Grit made me take something I dislike, and made it into one of my favorite things to do in the winter. Today I have been skiing for over 3 years. Even after I hurt my back skiing 2 years ago, I still went back the next year.…
When I first started the book Grit to Great, I was a little hesitant. In my senior year of high school, we read the book Outliers. The book talked about people who have achieved things that most people do not have the grit to achieve. The two books are very similar in messages. When I started Grit to Great, I thought it would be the same boring book. However, I realized that this book is all about pushing yourself to be the best you possibly can be, while Outliers told you about other people’s achievements.…
This article also talks about the idea that people that have built grit will be successful in whatever they chose to do. Sometimes we like to do a lot of things at the same time thinking we are achieving what we want. The truth is that we won’t know if we could give more to what we are doing because we are not focusing on finishing one thing first. An example will be that sometimes we get a lot of classes to finish fast and we don’t pay the attention that is…
Working to your full potential to receive the best outcome is one of the traits of Grit Angela Duckworth conducted. The study was conducted on students in the classroom and a cab driver, and is a trait that my mother and I share. My mother was a teacher for thirteen years and always worked hard for her students to become the best they could be. All of my mother’s…
“Grit is that 'extra something' that separates the most successful people from the rest. It's the passion, perseverance, and stamina that we must channel in order to stick with our dreams until they become a reality” (Bradberry). Throughout someone life series of events may occur, some of them will be good and some of them will bad, but the way people deal and react with the bad occurrences shape their characters and may lead to good events later one, meaning the amount of grit someone has can lead to how successful someone will be later in live. This can be shown by comparing the childhood, the father-son relationship, and the adulthood of two different literary characters, Joe Rantz, from the Boys in The Boat, and Amir, from The Kite Runner.…
In anything that we would like to succeed I we must be determined. Determination is staying focused on a plan even though the path to its end may be difficult. When I was younger I was very determined to play sports, but my opportunities seemed limited. At my age I considered myself to be one of the best football players we had. Unfortunately, it was hard for me to actually showcase my talents, because sometimes I would miss or even have to walk to my practices or games.…
Growing up, I was never naturally athletic and very injury prone. Regardless of these issues, I always remained determined and strived to accomplish my goals. As I enter high school one of my main goals was to make the varsity tennis team. During my freshmen year I practiced every day for the first 3 months of school hoping that I could just make the team. Unfortunately I tore a ligament in my wrist for the second time which prevented me from practicing till right before the tennis season started. I ended barely making the JV team which was very disappointing, but it only motivated me for next year. In my heart I knew that I if I was determined enough I could play varsity next year on my own merit. As I progressed through the sophomore year,…
Some people have a personality trait called “grit” . Angela Duckworth defines grit as the determination to do something until you have obtained the skills to do it correctly . In her research she explains that one must have endurance to complete a race . In True Grit by Angela Lee Duckworth and Lauren Eskreis -winkler , the example they give of true grit is , “ At the starting line it is the hare who is expected to finish first . Sure enough , the hare quickly out spaces the tortoise , accumulating so great a lead that he lies down to take a nap mid -race. When the hare awakens , The tortoise , who all the while has been laboring towards his destination , is too close to the finish line to beat” ( paragraph 2) . This shows grit because the tortoise himself , and everyone watching thought he had no chance of winning , but he had the determination to finish the race and he won .…
Failure will occur to everybody, but how I was able to conquer my physical failure makes me stand apart. Many people would not consider me a very in shape person compared to those on the field; but as so in life I was willing to work at improving my weaknesses. Over the course of my 3 years playing baseball, I have consistently worked out and lost a majority of body fat, replacing a majority with toned, strong muscle mass. Being able to experience this endeavor has prepared me for life by proving that I can accomplish whatever I set my mind…
I entered high school with a chip on my shoulder, bitter from being the smallest and being disregarded by my classmates. This perceived injustice drove me to work extremely hard. Night after night, I would be in the basement working on my swing, wanting to prove my worth to everyone. After months of practicing, my softball skills were starting to progress, and I was finally starting to grow. I then began to experience success on the softball field as well.…
My senior year of high school I received a traumatic brain injury in October while playing field hockey. What I assumed to be a minor injury with a quick recovery, turned into a yearlong battle to return to normalcy that has left me with lingering effects. The injury not only caused headaches and illness, but it prevented me from using electronics, spending time with friends, going to school, reading, and participating in sports. Amidst all these setbacks I turned to one of my favorite quotes by Lailah Gifty Akita to help me through: “Keep strong and stay determined. You are capable of overcoming the challenge.” I responded to my injury the best I could: with positivity, appreciation, and determination. I used my abundant free time to discover…
But then, one varsity football game on a Friday night I have been hit in the leg with my opponent’s helmet. I tried to walk it off, but the pain was overwhelming and the coaches had to take me out of the game. A few days after the game, the pain had still not gone away so my parents decided to get my leg checked out at the hospital. After a quick X-ray it was clear to the doctors that I had two small fractures in my leg, they went on to tell me that I could not play football for a couple of weeks, meaning I would not be able to play some of the last football games of my senior year. So under all this stress, pain and the amount of time football took out of my day, I was close to just giving up on my grades and to just start to feel sorry for myself, but I decided to keep on working and never giving up, because I always believed that “Success isn’t always about greatness, it’s about consistency…” -The Rock. These words have been a part of the few of which I follow with all my heart through this crazy game of…
In one case, I was fighting to win the league tournament for my school and losing 1 to 5; my opponent only needed four points to win. Around me I saw my team, coach, and the other team standing against the fence watching me play. I began to repeat a mantra in my head, “I’m going to win.” By sheer determination, I won the match. At the end of the tennis season, my coach said I was most resilient player he’s seen, and awarded me as the Most Valuable Player. This wasn’t an isolated incident - I was often playing an opponent much more experienced than myself, found myself falling behind, and bounced back in the…