Got grit?
If you don’t have grit in your life, get some! Get some quick!
If we’re honest, most of us think of grit as a nuisance. Its loose abrasive particles of dirt, gravel or sand mess and dirty things up, but that’s only one definition. Grit also means to have courage, resolve, strength of character, moral fiber, determination, perseverance and endurance.
Aha! Now you see where I’m going.
Without a doubt – I have grit! This past year and half of traumatic loss, growth and change in my life has taught me that, if nothing else. I also believe that having grit has evolved me. It forced me to stop playing it safe, step outside of my comfort zone, and go for my dreams.
Grit gave me the courage and determination to start my own business and to say failure is not an option. It gave me the confidence to help become a contributing author of a book and believe that someone would be interested in what I had to say. To believe that my words had value and could inspire or make a difference in the life of someone else.
Having grit forced me to move forward, whether I thought I was ready or not. I mean seriously, who among us ever really thinks we’re ready when we are called to do something beyond what we feel we are capable of or even ready to do.
I am a woman of faith and believe that God has created me for a great purpose, to leave a mark on the world, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t question my abilities or have doubts about some of the things I am called to do. I often feel that I am asked to do things and am thrown into projects or situations beyond my wheelhouse or outside of my comfort zone. And I always find myself asking the same question every single time. Why me?
When this happens, I think about Moses, the leader I probably relate most too in the Bible, because he was living an ordinary life when he received an extraordinary calling to lead the Israelites out of bondage, through the wilderness, and deliver them to the promised land.
Now, I’m no Moses by any stretch of the imagination, but I can relate to the talks that he had with God and the reasons and excuses that he gave as to why he was not up to the task that he had been chosen for. The Moses we see in Exodus 3 and 4 is not the heroic or dynamic leader and spokesman at this point that we all know. Instead, like many of us, he is unsure, self-conscious and uncomfortable with his short comings. As a matter of fact, he is so focused on everything that he is not, that he doesn’t see all that God has designed him to be.
Like Moses, I believe that God takes us through seasons of life and trials to transform us from who we are and evolve us to who he has called us to be. During these seasons is where you get grit. Not just any grit, but grit that builds character. Grit that makes you stronger than you ever imagined you could be.
The kind of grit that frees you from self-imposed limitations. The kind of grit that makes me refuse to dream small in life or in love.
So, the next time you find yourself going through a rough season, my advice to you is simple:
Grit up!
Stop fighting change. Take stock of the lesson. Grow!
Stop making excuses. Stop making excuses for who you are not and reach for who you can become, for who you are destined to be.
Stop playing it safe. It’s not okay to live a life playing it safe. Step out of your comfort zone.
Trust and believe that you are equipped with everything you need to accomplish what you are being called to do.
Get out into the community with other gritty people and change the world.
Hugs and love,
Andrea
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