Commit to be Fit: Struggling? Grit it out

What is the best predictor of success in a person's life?

Psychologist Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth believes the answer is 'grit.” In her 2013 TED Talk, Duckworth explains that grit is a better indicator of personal success than IQ, family income and other factors.

Before becoming a psychologist, Duckworth taught middle school and high school math. She began to notice how her students' effort (not IQ) determined their ultimate success. She was fascinated by this discovery, so much so, that she left the classroom to pursue finding an answer to her question: 'What is the role of effort in a person's success?”

Duckworth defines grit as 'sticking with things over the very long term until you master them.” She says that 'the gritty individual approaches achievement as a marathon; his or her advantage is stamina.”

In one study with Ivy League students, Duckworth's research found that smarter students actually had less grit than their peers who scored lower on an intelligence test. The students who were not as bright as their peers 'compensated by working harder and with more determination” and therefore would have higher GPAs.

Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval, co-authors of 'Grit to Great,” agree with Duckworth that grit can be developed. In their book, they have an inspiring quote from former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg. 'I know what hard work is all about,” Bloomberg says. 'I still come back to what my strategy always was and will continue to be: I'm not the smartest guy, but I can outwork you. It' the one thing I can control.”

Here are three action steps from 'Grit to Great,” that can help increase grit:

'Do vs. Dream.” If you have a goal to write a book, instead of just imagining your name on the best-seller lists, visualize the hours you will need to write your book and follow through. Even with his demanding schedule as CEO of an ad agency, James Patterson would wake up every day before dawn so he could work on his novels for four hours before going to work.

'Pause before pleasure.” Our brains are wired to achieve instant gratification, which may explain why some of us binge-eat and impulse-shop. Learn to delay gratification by pausing for 30 seconds. Do you really want to turn on the TV, eat that second helping, or spend the extra money? 'Grit to Great,” says learning how to strengthen one's ability to delay gratification will not only instill self-discipline, it may also help us become more creative, flexible and innovative.

'Fail forward.” Did you know that on average it takes up to 11 attempts to quit smoking? 'Grit to Great” believes each time you fail, there is something you can learn about how to succeed the next time. Failure can be a powerful force in driving us to work harder. Take James Dyson for example, he failed more than 5,000 as he struggled to create his first Dual Cyclone vacuum cleaner.

Remember grit is not a sprint, it's a marathon. 'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle

' Kylie Alger is a certified wellness coach and co-owner of The Well-Woman: Body, Mind & Spirit. Comments: kylie@thewellwoman.org