Grit is a power word that’s making rounds all over the internet; from TED talks to self-help books. So, what is grit? Is it supposed to inspire and motivate you to go after your dreams? Read on to learn how to increase grit in your life.

Grit is a magical word to me. It means fierce ambition and being fueled by passion. It helps me to get up in the morning and jump out of bed, ready to seize the day. It’s definitely my word of the year.

Grit is a factor that separates winners from losers. Grit takes you miles ahead, even though you may not have the talent. That’s the best part about grit. It lets you win even though you might not be the smartest or strongest. Learn how to increase grit in your life.

How to Increase Grit In Your Life

Here are 5 ways on how to increase grit in your life:

1. Write down your goals

If you want grit, chances are, you have a goal, or many. You need to be clear about your goals. Write them down. Look at this list of goals regularly and keep reminding yourself of the goals you have to achieve. This gives you a clear view of where you want to go. It helps you to learn to be an ambitious person.

2. Do your worst

Yeah, so you want to achieve your goals. What’s stopping you? Procrastination, that’s what. You keep wanting to write that book outline. However, you can’t bring yourself to do it because you want it to be perfect. My advice: Do your worst. Doing your worst is better than doing nothing. Besides, your worst is probably gold.

3. Practice

Let me use my writing example again; you want to be a writer. However, you can’t bring yourself to call yourself a writer. Maybe that’s because you aren’t writing enough! When you want to be something, you need to practice for it. If you want to make better art, you have to start with crappy art.

4. Surround yourself with people that ooze grit

When I was in fourth grade, this girl called Tracy sat next to me so that she could get as smart as me (her words). Well, it worked, because she ended up doing way better than me in class. Hang out with ambitious and motivated people. Be like Tracy. Get that passion via osmosis.

5. Motivate yourself

I usually get fired up once in a while and write passionate paragraphs to myself. I keep these just in case I need a motivation boost.  I write with feeling and passion why I want the things I want. I tell myself that I’m ready to do what it takes. It’s great to feel pumped up. That’s what grit does.

Do You Have the Grit?

This is one of my favorite lines. “Do you have the grit?” It’s a way to ask myself if I have what it takes to achieve what I want. It gets me pumped and motivated to go after my goals. I hope this post has helped you to learn how to increase grit in your life.