True Grit - November 28, 2025

What It Takes…Not Only To Succeed But To Cope

I’ve always been a fan of the concept of “grit”.  Grit is the combination of passion and perseverance toward long-term goals; the ability to stick with something difficult over a long period, even when progress is slow or setbacks happen.  The concept has been around forever, and was popularized by psychologist Angela Duckworth, in her book entitled “Grit”, published in May of 2016. This book by Duckworth is a fantastic read and I highly recommend it.  

I am proud of the grit I have demonstrated, in dealing with personal challenges, in being a parent, and in being an entrepreneur and business leader.  I was going through my notes and found something I had written down in July 2017 entitled “The Four Ps of Entrepreneurship”; those being Patience, Persistence, Passion and Perseverance.  I hadn’t yet read Ducksworth’s book at that time and had inadvertently noted in my “Four Ps” the two key elements of grit; passion and patience. When I realized that I had captured grit in my note, “grit” became locked-in as one of my personal guiding principles.  

I’m writing about grit in this article because I was recently paid a compliment by someone I respect, who said I was exhibiting a lot of enthusiasm and commitment towards resolving a personal challenge I was dealing with, that she was helping me with. I was honoured to receive that compliment, and in a way what she was describing was my grit.  More importantly it got me thinking about the concept of grit, something I hadn’t thought about in a few years.  Herein, I’d like to discuss what is and isn’t grit, the upside to having grit as well as the downside, if there is any, and share some examples along the way.  

As mentioned above, the core components of grit are passion and perseverance. Passion, in this context, is a sustained, long-term interest in a goal, mission, craft, or purpose. It's not short bursts of enthusiasm,  but a steady, focused commitment.  Perseverance -  is the discipline to keep going: through obstacles; through boredom; through failure; through slow progress; and, over years, not days. Together, these two traits mean you continue to pursue a worthwhile goal or mission.  You see that through to the end, even though it’s a long journey, and you may face some set-backs along the way.  In spite of all of these things, you still pursue the mission, and you don’t give up easily. Notice how I didn’t say, “don’t ever give up”. That’s because I’m not suggesting grit entails blindly pursuing a mission without giving some thought to your chances for success. In fact, continuous pursuit of a hopeless mission is one of the dangers of having too much faith or belief in grit.  Logic and common sense goes hand-in-hand with grit.  

Earlier in my career I was employed as a CFO in an owner-managed technology business.  The Owner/CEO was a tough person to work for.  I respected his accomplishments and his detailed knowledge of his business and the markets it pursued. But, he created a very difficult work environment and was extremely hard on his employees.  I realized within six months of joining that company that this environment was not for me. But rather than moving on, I stayed in that role, in that tough environment, for another three-and-a-half years…longer than I should have.  I maintained my passion for doing a good job and taking pride in my work throughout my time in this job, and I persevered through the tough environment; I was exhibiting grit…but in hindsight I should have left much sooner and not subjected myself to that treatment.  The excitement of that opportunity had waned, but I stuck with it.  My lesson here is that grit does not mean subjecting yourself to tough working conditions; use logic and determine that if a work situation is not going to give you what you want, then putting up with substandard work conditions is unnecessary.  But at the same time, be honest with yourself and assess if the situation is really that bad and that the upside isn’t really there. If this is truly the case, as it was for me in this job, then yes, it is time to move on.  The reason I didn’t leave sooner was because I didn't want to be seen as a quitter and leave prematurely.  This conundrum is one of the tough things about grit…grit has to be coupled with good judgement and honesty to one’s self. 

Grit isn’t about talent; it’s about endurance. In many cases, grit outperforms IQ, natural ability, and even luck.  An example of this is when I was pursuing my CPA designation. A major step in obtaining the Ontario CPA designation is to write and pass a uniform final exam (now known as the CFE).  Today the pass rate for this exam is about 80%.  Thirty plus years ago when I was going through the process the pass rate was about 50%.  Let’s just say it took me a few times to pass that exam, while most of my peers pass the exam in the first writing.  I’m glad I stuck with it, eventually passed the exam and obtained my CPA designation. Having that designation opened a lot of doors for me, earlier in my career.  My talent and ability to lead, led to a long career that I’m extremely proud of, but it took a lot of grit to get it started by persevering through the CPA exam process.  

Grit matters in: entrepreneurship; academics; sports; career achievement; recovery and rehabilitation; long-term creative projects.  My sons, who are now young men, played a lot of competitive minor hockey and youth baseball when they were younger.  In that journey they were both cut from the competitive team they should have made.  They stuck with the sports, played a level down from where they should have been playing that year, and then bounced back and in subsequent years made the teams at the appropriate level for them.  They demonstrated tremendous grit in coping with the disappointment of being cut, continuing to give their best after being cut, and then trying again in future seasons to make the higher-level teams. And, in examples of the apple not falling far from the tree, both of my sons are CPAs, as am I and their mother, having exhibited grit once again, to work through that gruelling process.  

Are you born with grit, or can you attain grit?

Yes, grit is trainable. The ways in which grit can be obtained include: setting long-term goals you deeply care about; practicing consistently, even briefly; learning to tolerate frustration; reframing setbacks as part of the process; building routines rather than relying on motivation.  Having role models you respect, that demonstrate grit, is a good way to embrace grit. 

Can you lose your grit?

Yes, you can lose grit at least temporarily.  Even highly resilient, driven people can experience a decline in grit when certain life conditions shift. Grit isn’t a fixed trait. It’s more like a state that fluctuates depending on health, energy, purpose, and environment.

Here are the main reasons people lose grit:

1. Health issues or major life events - Stroke, chronic illness, burnout, depression, grief, fatigue — these directly erode your ability to persevere. They don’t reflect a lack of character; they reflect a change in your brain and body’s energy system. After an injury or health trauma, grit often looks different rather than disappearing.

2. Loss of meaningful purpose - Grit requires long-term passion. If your goals no longer feel achievable, aligned, or relevant, the “passion” half of grit fades. People often misinterpret this as “losing grit,” when in fact they’ve outgrown their old goals and haven’t yet found new ones.

3. Chronic fatigue or depleted reserves - Grit needs energy. When your baseline energy crashes (post-stroke fatigue, burnout, long stress), perseverance becomes neurologically harder.  It’s not weakness — it’s chemistry.

4. Too many failures without recovery time - If setbacks pile up without rest or support, grit gradually erodes. Even gritty people have limits.

5. Being isolated or unsupported - Grit is not just internal — it’s heavily influenced by: environment; structure; encouragement; accountability.  Without support, grit drains faster.

Can grit be regained?

Absolutely! People rebuild grit by: reconnecting to goals that feel meaningful now; adjusting expectations during recovery; practicing tiny daily wins; rebuilding physical and mental energy; increasing social support; redefining identity after a major event (like a health change). In fact, many people develop stronger, more sustainable grit after a major setback — but it’s a different kind of grit, based on compassion and pacing, not force.

Is grit disappearing with younger generations?

Not exactly. What’s happening is more complex:

1. Today's environment now requires less hardship

Technology conveniences reduces daily friction:

• No need to hunt for information

• No waiting for results

• Fewer physical challenges

• Instant entertainment, instant gratification

When life offers fewer natural obstacles, you have fewer opportunities to build perseverance.

2. Our tolerance for discomfort is decreasing

We’re not weaker as people — we’re simply less accustomed to sitting with:

• Boredom

• Frustration

• Repetition

• Failure

This creates the perception that grit is rarer.

3. Modern culture values speed over endurance

Today’s values emphasize:

• Going viral

• Quick success

• Overnight results

• Optimization

• Hack culture

Grit, by definition, is the opposite:

• Slow

• Hard

• Repetitive

• Often invisible

The environment isn’t aligned with grit-building.

But grit still exists, in abundance, just in different places

You see grit today in:

• Long-term caregivers

• Stroke survivors relearning mobility

• Founders surviving multi-year startup slogs

• Students putting themselves through school

• Athletes and artists training for decades

• 
  

Is society losing respect for grit?

In some ways, yes. We celebrate:

• Ambition

• Achievement

• Intelligence

• Talent

But we rarely celebrate:

• Persistence

• Discipline

• Humility

• Repetition

• Failure management

• 
  

Grit doesn’t fit neatly into an Instagram post. But it remains the foundation behind every meaningful accomplishment.

 Is grit still teachable?

Absolutely, but it must be built intentionally now.

Grit grows through:

• Difficulty you do not quit from.

• Daily habits that stretch discomfort tolerance

• Long-term commitment (even through boredom)

• 
  

In a play on words I entitled this article “True Grit”, which many of you will know as the famous film from 1969 featuring John Wayne.  Wayne won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn in the movie.  Ironically, “True Grit” describes Mattie Ross — not Rooster Cogburn.  Most people assume “true grit” refers to the grizzled U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn, because he’s the tough, hard-drinking lawman. But the title actually points to 14-year-old Mattie Ross, the young girl hiring Rooster to avenge her father’s murder. In the movie the character of Mattie Ross: refuses to be dismissed; negotiates fearlessly with adults; insists on joining the manhunt; faces danger with moral clarity, and shows unwavering resolve. Her strength is moral courage and unwavering determination. The film makes this clear: Rooster has toughness, but Mattie has true grit.  Grit isn’t just the heroic endurance portrayed in movies or motivational books.

 After an injury or illness, grit becomes the choice to keep going when everything is harder than it used to be. The courage to rebuild life with new strength and new limitations.  The discipline to show up again tomorrow.