Tips to Master Your Grit as an Entrepreneur

Many of us hear ‘grit‘ and we immediately think perseverance, but there’s more to it than just that. Angela Duckworth, a renowned psychologist in her best-selling book called Grit adds that it’s really not just a matter of perseverance because you have to put food on the table, but resilience simply because you love what you’re doing and would like to see it through. This passion and perseverance make you put up even through the tough and grim times. In a nutshell, Grit is perseverance backed up by endless passion and motivation. As an entrepreneur, here are tips on how to master grit:

1. Reexamination of your goals and motivations.

Every chance you get, keep re-examining the reasons behind your goals. Remember what you want to achieve, where you see yourself in 5, 10 or 20 years. When you look back to where you came from and visualize where you are going, the vision is enough to fuel you up. Keep refreshing your mind and adding more to the goals as you get closer to achieving them. Ensure your goals are realistic, timely and most of all specific.

2. Exploit Friendly competition 

If there’s a thing to motivate anyone, it’s healthy competition. Competition in worthwhile causes, perhaps to be the best textile sale shop, sell the best sunglasses, the latest books would be considered healthy as compared to simply wanting to make the most money. Friendly competition keeps the adrenaline rush high and can trigger forgotten passions and interests, thereby kickstarting the motivation all over again. 

3. Understand what your passion and creativity

Grit is being happy that you’re an artist even when the art you’re producing doesn’t impress you. It’s knowing that you can get better with more practice and keeping at it till you accomplish the epitome of your creativity. When you have the freedom to dream, you find out the power you have within you. Once you understand what your passion is, you realize your potential and therefore develop the resilience that anyone in business needs. From instinct, your passion guides you to your success. As an entrepreneur, it’s important that you comprehend what your desires and passions are because you’ll need the boost. Successful entrepreneurs could never say how many times they’ve failed to try to come up with a new product, a model of business and so on simply because they are uncountable! 

4. Step out of your comfort zone.

Take on challenging activities that will have you out of your comfort zone.  This deliberate disturbance of the mind builds up your tolerance levels, therefore, grit. Just like Warren Buffet took up the job of a professor despite being shy and a poor public speaker, you can take on challenges, as they just but might be the stepping stones you need to achieve more. As you push yourself, you increase your capability. 

5. Develop a daily routine.

Practice makes perfect, and a daily routine will build up discipline to do the things you find boring and hard. As you force yourself to take on the job daily even when you don’t feel like it, you naturally find it easier to do it. You cultivate the culture of sticking to it day in day out which amplifies your grit. Wake up, meditate, have a cup of coffee, plan, go to work, deliver your best, home, rest and tomorrow morning, wake up and repeat!

6. Change of mindset.

Thoughts become attitudes and attitudes become actions. Our thoughts, therefore, define our lives. If you think you can make it, you’re right and on the contrary, if you think you can’t, you’re right too! Reactions to everything around us and our personal behavior need to ooze positivity which can only come from a positive mindset. When faced by business adversity, you have the choice to get up and conquer or be crushed down and close shop. Every set back should be considered a lesson to master your grit!

7. Know when to quit. 

A paradoxical statement that is as heavy as it is confusing. Despite the fact that grit is about resilience, never giving up and other different words that counteract quitting, it also means that you should know when to stop.  Shrewd entrepreneurs need to identify when the battle is lost and call it quits. At times you may be so hellbent on inventing a product that you don’t realize that it’s milking all business resources without any value addition whatsoever. You need to know when to quit to avoid risking counter-productivity in your pursuit of one narrow option. Looking at the bigger picture should have you quitting and taking on something else, one that could improve the business. A wide array of possibilities is out there and you should be smart enough to pursue another if this one is not working. 

‍These are the fundamentals of mastering your grit as a small business owner. Taking on a challenge as establishing a business from scratch is no easy task, hence why grit is an important quality to optimize. It will have you handling setbacks with zeal and positivity while at the same time develop the thick skin needed for perseverance. While persistence may be a pseudonym for entrepreneurs, grit will have you turn that around into optimism. Whether you’re just starting or have been at it for years, thee 7 golden tips will ensure you are the founding director or CEO of a successful company in future. Unlock your destiny today.