#18 Brain Bite - What if "Grit" Decides Your Future?

On this special edition of a Tuesday brain bite, since it's the week of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share with you the power of GRIT and what the research says about it. 

For all those seeking to reach goals, how important is GRIT? Inside this brain bite we break down why grit beats talent, how passion and perseverance work together, and how to train your brain for long-term goals. A simple two-question check and one small weekly action help you build sustainable commitment without burnout.

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Note: This podcast episode is sponsored by Dr. Rewire's Brain DNA test. Learn more at Unshakeablebrain.ai. If you're a practitioner and you're interested in adding this at-home lab test to your toolkit, go to Unshakeablebrain.ai/expert.

I, Dr. Kylie, no longer work with clients in any endeavor. If you'd like more support for your health, I recommend working with the physicians at the EllieMD telemedicine platform. To get started, go to https://elliemd.com/?bp=drkylie. For health and wellness experts looking to provide this resource to your clients, get started at https://elliemd.com/join-us/?bp=drkylie.

Thank you for joining the Unshakeable Brain community. Dr. Kylie

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:02):
Welcome to Brain Bites, your quick dose of
science and strategies for anunshakable brain.
I'm your host, Dr.
Kylie, and in the next fewminutes, you'll get a sharp
insight to feed your brain.
All right, let's dig in.
What do all high achievers havein common?
You might think it's talent orintelligence or even motivation.

(00:25):
But according to world-renownedpsychologist Dr.
Angela Duckworth, it's none ofthese things.
It's one four-letter word.
G-R-I-T.
Grit.
Grit is the combination ofpassion and perseverance.
It's the ability to staycommitted to your goals out over

(00:48):
the long haul, even when thingsget hard.
But especially when things gethard.
The best part?
Grit can be learned.
Talent gets you started.
Intelligence opens doors, butgrit, grit is what keeps you in
the room when everyone else hasleft.

unknown (01:07):
Dr.

SPEAKER_00 (01:08):
Duckworth's research shows that grit is a better
predictor of success than IQ,natural ability, or even a
socioeconomic background.
It's not about being thesmartest person in the room.
It's about refusing to give upwhen things get difficult and
staying in love with the worklong enough to see it through.

(01:30):
Think about the people youadmire most, the ones who've
built something meaningful,who've mastered their craft, may
even have created lastingimpact.
Chances are they're not the mostnaturally gifted.
They're the ones who keptshowing up day after day, year

(01:51):
after year, even when progresswas slow, even when it wasn't
glamorous, even when no one waswatching.
That's grit.
But here's what most peoplemisunderstand.
Grit isn't about grindingyourself into the ground.
It's not about hustle culture oreven ignoring burnout.

(02:13):
Grit is sustainable commitment.
It's passion, genuine love forwhat you're doing, combined with
perseverance, the discipline tokeep going even when the passion
fades temporarily.
Because passion alone isn'tenough.
Passion is what gets you excitedat the beginning, but

(02:35):
perseverance is what carries youthrough the middle when the
excitement wears off and thereal work begins.
Perseverance alone isn't enougheither.
If you're persevering throughsomething you don't actually
care about, you'll burn out.
You gotta have both.
Passion gives you direction,perseverance gives you

(02:58):
endurance.
The science backs this up.
Dr.
Duckworth's studies show thatpeople with high grit scores are
more likely to completedifficult tasks, stay in
challenging careers, and achievelong-term goals, not because
they're more talented, butbecause they don't quit.

(03:19):
And the beautiful thing, grit istrainable.
You build grit the same way youbuild muscle through consistent
practice, small challenges, andlearning to tolerate discomfort
without giving up.
Every time you push throughsomething hard and come out on
the other side, your brainstrengthens the neural pathways
associated with resilience.

(03:40):
You are literally rewiringyourself to become grittier.
So if you've ever felt likeyou're naturally not talented
enough, not smart enough, or notmotivated enough, I have good
news for you.
You don't need to be, you justneed grit.
And grit is something you canbuild starting today.
So here's your weekly challenge.

(04:03):
This week, identify one areawhere you've been tempted to
quit.
Maybe it's a skill you've beenlearning that feels harder than
you expected.
Maybe it's a project that'staking longer than you thought.
Maybe it's a goal that's lostsome of its initial excitement.
Instead of quitting or pushingharder, ask yourself two
questions.

(04:23):
One, do I still care about this?
That's the passion check.
Two, am I willing to keep goingeven when it's hard?
That's the perseverance check.
If the answer is yes to both,commit to one small action this
week that moves you forward, nota massive leap, just one step.

(04:46):
And when it gets hard, and itwill, remind yourself this is
where grit is built.
This is where I becomeunshakable.
You're not training for talent,you're training for endurance,
and that's what wins in the longrun.
Finishing off with ourunshakable brain fact.

(05:08):
Grint grit isn't something youpush through.
It's neurologically linked toyour brain's ability to delay
gratification.
People with higher grit scoresshow greater activation in the
prefrontal cortex, the part ofthe brain responsible for
long-term planning andself-control.

(05:29):
This means that when youpractice perseverance, you're
literally strengthening the partof your brain that helps you
resist short-term temptations infavor of long-term goals.
Grit rewires your brain forsuccess.
Holy moly, did I need to hearthat today?
I hope you did too.
If you have enjoyed these brainpiges and our full episodes

(05:51):
happening on Tuesdays, pleaseshare this web this podcast on
your social media.
Give us a review on yourfavorite podcast listening app.
And if you haven't checked outthe brain DNA test yet, go to
unshakablebrain.ai.
If you are a practitionerinterested in adding this into
your toolkit, it's free for youto join.

(06:12):
Go to unshakablebrain.aslashexpert.
I'm Dr.
Kylie.
Merry Christmas, and I will seeyou next week.