Interest: What do I like to do? Because interests are discovered, developed and deepened into passion over our lifetime. What do I care about? How would I spend my time if I couldn’t fail? Can I ask myself questions that will continually trigger the discovery and development of my interests? How can I align my mission with my personal interests as those who perform better have interests that they’re passionate about? And no matter what you do, if you’re not passionate about the people, activities and goals you have you won’t be able to stick with your magnificent obsession. What is your top-level life orientating goal? Because it will require unending energy towards years of long study, practise, personal-growth and learning to master yourself no matter the obstacles that you encounter on your journey. Can you become a world class problem solver? Can I find people who share the same interests? Who am I meant to be?
Deliberate Practise: Once you’ve identified your area of personal interest, you must devote yourself to the daily habit of skill practise. When does the training stop? Never! Anyone who becomes world-class at what they do follows specific training to relentlessly self-discipline themselves and to improve. This includes creating situations that make the individual feel uncomfortable to improve their weaknesses. You must step outside your comfort zone on a regular basis and turn your weaknesses, insecurities and fears into strengths. And everybody has areas they can improve on. Why don’t people improve? Because they’re not doing daily deliberate skill practise. This means engaging in routines, rituals and spending hours and hours in team and solitary practise over years to refine their skills and habits. You build grit through practise.
PURPOSE: One form of purpose is our chosen passions. Another can be that I will contribute purposefully to the well-being of others. For me, this means I use my skills not just within my family environment but also towards community and humanity. That’s why the EVERYBODY WINS school initiative exists. It’s now “The Most Effective School Initiative” in Australia, and will also act as a “Social Multiplier” for many of societies problematic needs. I imagined and created it. If we face new world problems, do we need to change the educational system and learn new world skills? The reason I defy the odds and overcome my life obstacles is because I wasn’t obsessing about myself. Essentially, I have learned servant-leadership as my goals are an expression of my deepest values and connected to the benefits of helping other people by the way I live with honour. I believe young people and communities need to observe purposeful role models early on in their lives. Growing up I was fascinated by Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi and Bruce Lee. I now admire them more! How am I making the world a better place?
Hope:
Learning hope means that you maintain diligence with your passions, daily deliberate skill practise and purpose. I recommend aligning yourself and operating in a principle-levelled way towards your life vision of supreme importance even when it’s very hard and doubt starts to overwhelm you, because all physical and emotional pain eventually ends. Faith or fear? Character is how you respond when the going gets tough. Essentially, you will teach yourself hope and the courage to rise to the occasion.
How can I develop Grit?
1. Must commit to developing a hard-personal interest that will also create PASSION in your life. Fascination + passion with years of daily deliberate skill practise = Mastery skill development.
2. What you commit yourself to, finish whatever you begin. You cannot quit on hard days or bad experiences.
3. You get to choose your hard interest.
Don’t let setbacks hold you back, ever. Unleash your passion, relentlessly self- discipline yourself, learn to persevere and become an ultimate competitor.
What are you capable of?
Dave