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overarching goal that drives everything they do. According to Duckworth, someone who builds grit goes through life like a marathon, not a sprint. Based on her findings, she came up with a grit equation: talent x effort = skill, and skill x effort = achievement.
What makes Duckworth’s equation so important is the fact that it shows how much more important effort is than inherent talent. People who have grit are successful not because they naturally excel at something, but because they put in the effort needed to achieve it. A gritty person sees challenges as opportunities, not barriers. It’s this type of growth mindset that can help businesses use grit to their success. How do you begin to develop grit in yourself or in your team? First , home in on what it is about your business or work that you are passionate about. Maybe your passion is giving every customer the best possible experience with your company, or maybe you love finding customers who need your service to fulfill a need. Whatever it is, find it and zero in on it. Second , practice that passion consistently. Have conversations with customers, find out what matters to them, take part in training, and have your team participate in customer success training. Do the work to fuel this passion. Then , develop
the belief that your passion has a purpose. Concentrate on the fact that you want to give every person the best possible interaction with your business to contribute to a happier, more positive world. This belief should be integral to every move you make and every interaction your employees have with your customers. When it’s a core principle, this work is unifying. While it’s not an overnight transformation, these guidelines can at least give us hope, which is the fourth step: Hold on to the hope that you can succeed. Grit means being so strongly motivated by your need to achieve something that you continue to pursue it even when obstacles arise, and 2020 has had its fair share of obstacles. You may be exhausted, but now is the time to power your motivation. Along the way, look at failures as milestones on the journey to success. Don’t give up when something becomes challenging — getting “gritty” means failing and learning from it.
In 2018, Dutch native Emile Ratelband was 69 years old. The thing was that the motivational speaker and founder of the Ratelband Research Institute didn’t want to be 69. So, he went to a Dutch court and petitioned for the right to change his legal age. His intention was to change the year of birth on his birth certificate — bumping it up by 20 years. As a result, all records would show him as 49. What Is Age but a Number? A Dutch Man’s Quest to Change His Legal Age
says I’m 69, I don’t get an answer. When I’m 49, with the face I have, I will be in a luxurious position.”
Interestingly enough, Ratelband’s request wasn’t dismissed outright by the court. The judge found merit in the argument and said that people desire to change things about themselves all the time, adding that maybe age was one of those things we should consider —“maybe” being the operative word. The court ultimately decided that “Ratelband is at liberty to feel 20 years younger than his real age and to act accordingly.” But the judge added that changing his legal documents would have “undesirable legal and societal implications.”The court added “[T]here are a variety of rights and duties related to age, such as the right to vote and the duty to attend school. If Mr. Ratelband’s request was allowed, those age requirements would become meaningless.” Today, Ratelband is 71 and continues his battle to change his age. While he may have lost in his initial quest to legally change his age, according to NPR, he intends to appeal the decision.
Why did Ratelband want to change his age?
He told the court he didn’t feel like a man who was going on 70. He said he felt good—he felt like a man 20 years younger. He even said his doctors agreed and that they’d told himhe had the body of someone younger. But there was another major reason Ratelband wanted to change his age. He said doing so would increase his overall happiness and would be helpful on dating apps. He would no longer have to deal with the ageism that came with being 69. Ratelband even went as far as to say he would be willing to delay his pension benefits another 20 years if need be. In an interview with Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, Ratelband said, “When I’m 69, I am limited. If I’m 49, then I can buy a new house, drive a different car. I can take up more work. When I’m on Tinder and it
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