Guest Contributor: 1st Lt Austin “Tribune” Acosta. Infantry Platoon Commander with Baker Company, 1st Battalion 7th Marines. United States Marine Corps. CA. WPD Alpha Group Member.
“Let’s set ourselves apart. Say ‘No’ to excuses and mediocrity. Say ‘Yes’ to grit!”
– Austin “Tribune” Acosta. United States Marine Corps.
…Grit…courage and resolve to show strength of character…
Look around your modern world. Now compare what you see with the times of your known ancestors. Differences? Sure. There are three obvious ones like: major advancements in technology, better healthcare, and vast infrastructures to name a few. Again, obvious, but what about something a bit more personal? How about grit (courage and resolve to show strength of character? Do you suspect our ancestors displayed a bit more grit than modern folk do? I think so for reasons beyond this piece. Simply, I suggest that “grit” at its fullest has the power to affect positively our society.
Here’s the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front); American society has gone soft and lost much grit. Why? People seek comfort. They avoid adversity rather than leaning into it and even conquering it. As a result, they lose grit. Facing adversity and persevering through pain and hardship are, in part, what teaches us the value of hard work and determination which, in turn, slowly builds grit. Adversity creates in us an appreciation for success and encourages us to keep fighting even when our backs are against the wall. So then, how might we squarely face and perhaps conquer the challenges before us? How might we persevere through the pain and trials set before us? Grit.
Let us talk athletics. Determined student-athletes must understand and embody grit. Again, two words express grit: courage and resolve. No matter the task at hand, student-athletes must have the courage to take the task on and resolve to overcome it. Athletes must train this mindset and actively apply it to daily life. Tough workout today? Feel grit. Big race this weekend? Think grit. Suffering from injury? Be grit. Training grit into character allows student-athletes control over themselves and the challenges they face.
Displaying grit is not new, and that is the reason I began this blog by asking you to think about your ancestors. For centuries, this way of thinking and living (grit) in America was widespread, and more broadly, the civilizations that harnessed this grit were often the societies who ruled and dominated.
In his book The Warrior Ethos, Steven Pressfield states, “The interesting thing about peoples and cultures from rugged environments is that they almost never choose to leave them. When the Persians under Cyrus the Great (who came from the harsh Zagros Mountains, in what is today Iran) conquered the lowland Medes 2700 years ago, the royal advisors assumed that Cyrus would abandon his barren, rocky homeland and settle into the good life in the Medes’ fertile valleys. But Cyrus knew, as the proverb declares, that ‘soft lands make soft people.’ His answer became famous throughout the world: Better to live in a rugged land and rule than to cultivate rich plains and be a slave.”
Might I suggest that determined student-athletes, like Cyrus, need to use grit (courage and resolve) to endure their “rugged lands” – coaching and team obstacles, training workouts and high-pressured events. Determined student-athletes cannot follow the less gritty world who are “slave” to laziness, complacency, and fear.
Let’s set ourselves apart. Say “No” to excuses and mediocrity. Say “Yes” to grit!
