When Everything in You Wants to Give Up

GRIT. It’s a term developed by psychologist Angela Duckworth and it refers to a person’s ability to persevere no matter what challenges or obstacles come their way.
Life is full of those, isn’t it? One moment things are moving along great and the next something hits us out of left field, and leaves us reeling.
Obstacles and challenges can come in many forms. Sometimes challenges are things out of our control like physical illness. Sometimes they are a result of other people’s choices and actions that affect us; sometimes they are a result of our own choices and decisions.
Maturity and wisdom at times grants us the ability to discern which it might be, and we must be honest with ourselves if the fault lies with our own actions. Yet regardless of why this has happened, the fact remains, here we are facing a mountain that we have no idea what to do.
Some get stuck here; some try to hide it; some blame others; some get lost in self blame; some try to pretend it didn’t happen. But it did happen; it is happening. You must face it for what it is and begin thinking, educating yourself and logically problem solving.
Life is not really about what happens to you, it’s more about how you respond to it that will determine your course. This is where grit comes in. People with grit will stick to their goals and find a way no matter what the setback or failure looks like.
People with grit don’t abandon their responsibilities just because it’s not convenient. People with grit choose to persevere and find another way around, even if it’s a longer road. People with grit acknowledge where they blew it, take responsibility for what’s happened and embrace it rather than trying to avoid it or pretend that it didn’t happen.
Your life is not determined bu the things that happen to you; your life is defined by how you handle the things that happen.
Today choose grit no matter what you are facing. When all other voices are telling you that you can’t parent, or shouldn’t parent, know that you can. Life may not look like you thought it would – honestly, it really never does for most of us. But women have the amazing ability to make the most of a bad situation, make a plan and move forward successfully. You can too.