If there’s one thing that’s been proven over and over, it’s that those who have the grit and determination to stay the course despite the roadblocks placed on their path are the big winners in every sphere of life and business, writes Gail Eaton-Briggs, author of Unconscious Grit: From Stuck to Unstoppable.

Grit is unconscious for many business people. That’s not a bad thing, but it does mean they’re not focusing their energy as effectively as they could.

When you have conscious grit, you can make a bigger impact in a shorter time. Success is yours for the taking.

7 key ingredients of conscious grit

There are seven key ingredients to developing conscious grit and the good news is that we all have these traits – though we may need to remind ourselves that we do every now and again!

1. Persistence

Have you ever heard that ‘slow and steady wins the race’? What that means is that persistence is the key to life.

People with unconscious grit are often very persistent, but they may not know it or combine it effectively with the other ingredients on this list. Constant, consistent effort is the way persistence manifests itself.

2. Determination

Determination is your ability to decide on the outcomes you want and stick to the goals you set to achieve them. It’s more focused than persistence and often requires a conscious decision.

There are many things we want in life; a determined person picks an objective and then decides to focus on it until it’s achieved.

3. Tenacity

This quality is often confused with persistence, but it’s actually a measure of your ability to hold onto something.

Tenacious people are determined people living in the moment and constantly gripping on to their objectives so they can achieve them.

4. Resilience

Life and business are full of setbacks, hurdles and obstacles. It doesn’t matter how hard you work, how much you care or how clever you are – you’ll have to deal with challenges too.

Resilient people understand this. They see challenges as temporary and the solutions they devise as the next step on their personal journey. They can welcome life’s problems because they know each one brings them closer to their goal.

5. ‘Big C’ – courage

It takes a brave person to run a business, to decide they are going to make a difference in the world and to rise up to the challenges they face.

You may not see yourself as courageous, but you are. Think of the last time you took on something outside of your comfort zone. Do you remember how that felt? That was you being courageous. You can tap into that whenever you need to, by focusing on the last time you were courageous and unleashing that feeling.

6. Future focus

Winning in business takes time. The key to conscious grit is developing a mindset that focuses on the long term.

You’re in this for the big rewards that come with sustained effort. When you’re in the zone, focusing on the big picture motivates and drives you.

7. Planning

Most of all, if you want to tap into your conscious grit, you need a plan. You also need to be able to revisit that plan when circumstances change. Tapping into your courage and resilience can help you pivot when necessary.

Get into the zone

Running a business isn’t a sprint – it’s a marathon. Staying the course and learning to handle the obstacles in your way will see you to the finish line every time.

To find out more about how to harness the power of your conscious grit to achieve success, check out Conscious Grit: From Stuck to Unstoppable.

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