True Grit: Call it resilience or perseverance or determination or courage or fortitude or toughness. Call it all of those things and more: steadfastness in the face of challenge and adversity. Call it tenacity, endurance, or the strength of will to continue onward to the extra mile and beyond.
Whatever it is, it works, it makes a difference, a huge difference. In the oft quoted words of Henry Ford: “Think you can, think you can’t, you are right.”
Interestingly, it is through overcoming adversity that one develops the emotional skills and self-beliefs that compose resilience. Eliminate difficulty and you never develop the ability to function effectively in times of stress, misfortune, and hardship. Over-protection does more harm than good. Ships are safe in the harbor but that is not what ships (or life) are about.
How deep is your resilience reservoir? Stores of True Grit? Decades ago, I read ‘Den of Lions’ by journalist Terry Anderson documenting his 6 years in captivity as a hostage in Lebanon in the 1980’s. I realized that I lacked the strength of spirit that enabled him to endure, and it sparked an effort to develop greater personal internal fortitude.
Footnote: https://nscblog.com/2023/08/10/den-of-lions/
Closing Quotes:
“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1882-1945, only 4-term US President
“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” – Napoleon Hill, 1883-1970, Think and Grow Rich
“If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you’d like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost;
For out in this world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you’re outclassed, you are;
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win the prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can!” – Walter D. Wintle, circa late 19th/early 20th century
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier
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