Grit: Building Resilience in Your Everyday Life

My two broken wrists

My two broken wrists

Several weeks ago, I was asked to do a professional development webinar on the topic of grit for a large organization.  I received great feedback on the webinar and many participants asked for my slides and resources so they could revisit the topic later. As a result, I made plans to create a video blog on the topic and quickly put together a new slide deck, a script for my webinar, and a resource guide. Two days later on January 26, I fell while running backwards at Camp Gladiator and broke both of my wrists!

I've always done well with setting long-term professional goals and sticking to them, but I'm now learning about grit in an entirely new way! Without full use of either arm, I've been forced to set all humility aside, accept help with the most basic daily tasks, and find new ways to do everything from brushing my teeth to clothing myself. As I begin occupational therapy this week, I will need to be resilient and grit my teeth through the pain in order to regain full functioning. I'm sure many of you have had similar experiences in your life. As I face this challenge, I often think about the research on grit and strategies I can use to maintain my resilience and hope. To learn more about the mental, emotional, and behavioral aspects of grit, click "play" to watch this short ten-minute video. I wish you the best in picking yourself up off the ground, dusting yourself off, and getting back to work...whatever your current challenges may be! 

Jaime GoffComment