The Power of Grit: Pushing Forward When Progress Stalls
The Next Day…
A monthly column by Gardenia Spiegel
Hi everyone! It's daylight savings time, tulip bulbs are bright and blooming. Spring is in the air.
this month In The Next Day column we examinE Grit, and and how it can affect us daily. Let’s get into it:
March Theme: Grit
Grit: ‘Entails working to overcome challenges and maintaining effort and interest over time despite failures, adversities, and plateaus in progress.’ (American Psychology Assoc.)
The idea of ‘maintaining effort and interest over time despite plateaus in progress’ stood out to me. Being stagnant, where neither growth nor loss happens, can be the hardest place to exist. You’re not the best at something, but you’re also not the worst. Even Steven.
But where do we go from here?
When there’s adversity, we have something to rail against, we can summon resilience. When we are stumbling, we can dig deep and muster determination to go the extra mile. But when we are in a state of plateau, what are we withstanding? Is it worth pushing ourselves for more?
Maybe we’re doing ok. We pay our bills and can go on vacation once a year, but we don’t do what we love. Maybe we’ve had to take multiple, unfulfilling jobs to accommodate mouths to feed and a ballooning mortgage, but we love, and feel pride in supporting our family. Maybe we’ve refused to do anything that doesn’t align with our goals. Our work is purposeful, but we watch friends and peers grow their portfolios and generational wealth. At some point, we question every decision, every choice. Only we know our deepest desires.
Grit is when we surrender to the realities in front of us, but keep going anyway. Sometimes it’s not about moving mountains, it’s about believing they still exist.
If there’s an elusive part of you that feels a yearning, listen.
To know, and to continue to be in pursuit of a deep desire connects us with life-force.
Let’s not shy away, or succumb to being comfortable. What is your voice saying?
CONSIDER THESE WORDS:
Book: Small Things Like These
By: Claire Keegan
A slim novel that I stumbled upon at a local bookstore. It’s a beautiful story about remembering who we are, even when it’s inconvenient. Survival can cloud the most true parts of ourselves, and in this novella, Ms. Keegan haunts our humanity. Her honest, spare prose is delicate and gripping. You can’t turn away. This one is going to stay with me for a while…
…at Reparations Club, a Black woman-owned bookshop and creative space in Los Angeles. Visit their Bookshop page.
Interview: Marie Rogers
In honor of Women’s History Month, we are shining the spotlight on Marie Rogers, the first Black woman to hold the title of Commodore at The Los Angeles Yacht Club. Her journey is one of persistence and courage, as she continues to navigate a sport, and culture, predominantly dominated by white men. She is a current member of the US Sailing board of directors, a mother, an inclusive social disrupter, and a bad-mamajama.
Marie explains why she decided to “grab the helm both literally and figuratively:“
Marie Rogers
“My tagline is: ‘I’m always in places where I don’t belong, and I’m not supposed to be.’”
I hope this helps get you to the next day. See you next month! ~g
The Next Day column is written by: Gardenia Spiegel, a mother, writer, and creator of Book Nook.
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