A Wish on a Star or a Personal Mission Statement
Between the two books, Grit: The POWER of PASSION and PERSEVERANCE[1] and Mindset[2], it feels like I was reading several lines from my “script” to new employees at our orientation meetings each month, except with different words. My role in these meetings is to welcome the newcomers, review our Mission, Core Values and Vision statements and then discuss the fluidity of our organizational chart as we prefer promoting from within when current employees have the skills for a given position. It’s part cheerleader and part challenge.
My organization’s mission statement is: Proudly providing unparallelled services for children, adults and families living with developmental differences. Pretty bold. Yet I tell our new recruits that this is the goal we work towards every day. And it is done by practicing our core values: Honesty, Growth, Accountability, Community Building, and Sustainability. Our hope is that every employee from our newest hire to me keeps a growth mindset. What I like about what Angela Duckworth does in Grit, is that she names what is necessary to do take a growth mindset from a wish to visible results. In her research, Dr. Duckworth found that there are four assets that people who are gritty have. These include
- Interest, a passion that begins with curiosity and delight
- The capacity to practice. This could be the availability of an instrument if the passion is music or access to a coach and pitch if soccer lights the fire.
- The work matters. There is intrinsic value to it.
- A sense that rising to the occasion kind of perseverance will make a difference. Hope permeates every stage of grit[3].
An important factor of Grit is the perseverance aspect of her equation. In Dr. Duckworth’s language, this is the continual effort that is expended over a long period to reach a goal that is so important. Talent might help a person learn more quickly but effort is always needed. I like the equations where effort counts twice in reaping the benefit of achievement.
Talent X Effort = Skill
Skill X Effort = Achievement
Effort is needed for a raw talent to become a skill and then for the skill to reach a level of achievement[4]. In my opinion, one of the most important things that Duckworth discusses is the risk of TV shows such as America’s Got Talent[5], or even the Olympics. When someone watches these shows it could be easy to miss all the work that happened for weeks, months and years every single day behind the scenes. Sometimes the show make it seem as though a person has innate talent that just appeared.
Someone might wonder if there is any real value in having grit. I found it interesting that in an editorial review, Drs. Cindy Munro and Aluko Hope highlighted the benefits of grit among health care professionals. Specifically, they looked at nursing, pharmacy, and other health care profession students in relation to Angela Duckworth’s book. More than simply intelligence, they found a significant correlation, between students who scored high on Duckworth’s Grit assessment and those with strong clinical and academic success[6]. The reviewers acknowledged that all aspects of grit and clinical practice were not completely examined. Yet, the studies encouraged practicing nurses to take on a theme of being unstoppable, encouraging themselves to always continue their professional development[7].
I wonder how many of us looked for the first star on a clear night as a child to make a wish for a dream come true. Seems it never really happened. However, don’t lose hope. One of the more interesting things that Duckworth mentioned was the value of a life philosophy. She described it as knowing what someone wants out of their life. It gives them direction. It is their passion[8].
In my business world we call it a mission statement. For more years than I can remember, my personal mission statement has been: To live my life loving and following Jesus and sharing God’s love with others through service. This could also be what Angela Duckworth calls my life philosophy. What I want most in life. What is my passion. What motivates me each day. Yes, I want to have a great marriage, a good job, healthy family, and meaning in my life. Yet, all of these come under the overarching desire to be a follower of Jesus who shares God’s love, in my marriage, family, work, leisure and more. While I am far from perfect in any of these, it drives me to set aside time, continually choose my actions and words to meet that purpose. Even when our passion is about the ultimate being, our God, it too requires attention, work and dedication to nurture the relationship.
As I reflect on this book, I see it as an approachable read that I might find in a psychology or self-help section of a bookstore with valuable and, yes, doable recommendations to turn interest into passion through repeated, consistent attention with perseverance working to make it more than a dream.
[1] Angela Duckworth, Grit: THE POWER of PASSION and PERSEVERANCE (New York, Scribner, 2016)
[2] Carol Dweck, Mindset: Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential (New York, Random House Publishing, 2006).
[3] Duckworth, 91-92.
[4] Duckworth, 42.
[5] Duckworth, 31.
[6] Cindy L. Munro, PhD, RN, ANP, Aluko A. Hope, MD, MSCE, “Grit Makes Us Unstoppable” (September 1. 2019) 2. American Journal of Critical Care. https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2019871, accessed 11.13.2024.
[7] Munro and Hope, 3.
[8] Duckworth, 61.
About the Author
Diane Tuttle
12 responses to “A Wish on a Star or a Personal Mission Statement”
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Diane
HURRAH, you wrote a great post despite your earlier frame of mind today.
As you leave your agency how do you see grit playing into the next chapter in your life?
Hi Jeff, Thanks. I am really in the beginning stages of this plan but perseverance is important each step of the way. Specifically, I think what I am doing here is part of that next step. So even though there are times when there is no time, I must find it: keep doing each assignment and step required one at a time.
Hi Diane,
At a previous job, the CFO would choose a book for our team to read and discuss together. If you had to recommend either ‘Grit’ or ‘Mindset’ to your employees, both new and current, which one would you suggest they read, and why?
Hi Shela, Thank you for reading the post. I think I would start with Mindset. It is a pretty easy read with a main concept that is accessible. I think before someone sets out on a journey to work on something day in and day out, there has to be an understanding that growth is an important piece of the journey. That being said, I do think that Grit would be a good next step book as well.
Hi, Diane, thank you for sharing the core values of your organization as well. I do agree with you that these two books Mindset and Grit are good pairs. In the equation, is effort same as grit?
Hi Noel, Thank you for the question. I agree with the author that effort is needed to move talent into a skill but then also move skill into something remarkable. So I don’t think effort in itself is grit but one of the core components of it.
Hey Diane! I appreciate how you shared the history and expectations of your staff. These are realistic and tangible for any who come through your door. As I read I also saw you mentioned Grit associating it with a growth mindset. Question can grit come with a fixed mindset as well?
Hi Daren, That is a really good question. I think it is possible to be fixed in some areas and still put in effort. However, Usually, a lot of time and energy goes into the effort. If someone had a fixed mindset that something wouldn’t change, would the person actually put the effort in? Where would their “payoff” be? Maybe the grit would be misplaced and be put toward spending time and energy shoring up walls to prevent others from seeing vulnerabilities?
Hi Diane, I am going to adopt your personal mission statement. Thinking about your role as a leader, I keep thinking about effort and how most people have no idea how much work it takes to make something ‘run.’ So, thank you for your dedication and grit to proudly provide unparalleled services for children, adults, and families with developmental differences. When you think of your time at your organization, what season required the most perseverance, and in what ways did your passion fuel it? How did it mold you into the godly leader you are now?
HI Elysse, You are most welcome to the mission statement in any way that you want to make it your own. Remember it is my goal not necessarily a current reality all the time – or maybe most of the time.
Honestly, I think this is one of the harder times because I am navigating a new course. I know a transition must be done throughfully and well, but my current “exhaustion” that I mentioned last week is a sign that my time is nearer. My grit comes in because I truly love the people we serve, care deeply for our employees, and have great respect for our board. My perseverance is to do my job well during this time of exploration, change and transition. It doesn’t happen overnight so perseverance is required. Thanks for your prayers.
Hi Diane, I love how you said that you want to be a follower of Jesus above all the other roles you play. I am curious if you’ve put any thought into grit when it comes to following Jesus? Why are some people able to die for their faith and others struggle to follow him even when times are good? I want to grow in grit in following Jesus – let me know if you have any ideas!
Hi Christy,
Thanks for your question. I think about what you said how some people are willing to die for their faith and others struggle to follow him even in good times. I think the good times can be a distraction that cause us to forget our deep need. I hope I would be willing to die for faith in Jesus, right now it is how do I live for Him. And, it is my mission statement not my current perfection. I think grit comes in because it will never be perfect, especially during life on earth. It takes effort and practice, again, not always easy. Peace