The Virtues of Endurance

April’s Mind Spotlight

BY JODI DIEKER

No Grit No Pearl. 

Sometimes life is difficult. We can choose to face it head on or feeling sorry for ourselves the entire time. Psychologists have noted this “no grit, no pearl” mindset to be very beneficial, especially when it comes to athletics. A 2023 study found that grit, self control, hardiness, and resilience all play a key role in one’s psychological capacity to endure hard things. The researcher’s defined the terms as follows:

• Grit

• Ability to sustain effort and interest toward long-term goal. (Biggs, Seech, Johnston, & Russell, 2024, p. 24)

•  Self Control

• How well an individual can regulate impulses. (Biggs et al., 2024, p. 24)

• Hardiness

• Helps protect against adverse effects of stress through several factors, including commitment, control, and challenge. (Biggs et al., 2024, p. 24)

• Resiliency

  • Represents the ability to bounce back following adversity. (Biggs et al., 2024, p. 24)

The psychologists use the idea of a human battery to represent their theory. Essentially, grit and hardiness are personality based traits. Grit determines how much one can actually withstand without needing to take a break from achieving a goal. Hardiness helps us to remember the good reasons as to why we committed to a goal, thus helping us better to achieve it with a positive mindset. They see resiliency and self control as practicable virtues that help one to reach their goal. We build our endurance as we continue walking through life. By keeping an attitude of gratitude, we are able to give our situations reality checks. Maintaining a positive and goal oriented mindset also helps one to remember why they are doing what they are doing, and gives you the strength to keep going.

This month, let’s be clear about what our goals are, celebrate the little victories in working towards meeting them, and urge each other to keep going and Move UP!

References:

Adam T. Biggs, Todd R. Seech, Scott L. Johnston & Dale W. Russell (2024) Psychological endurance: how grit, resilience, and related factors contribute to sustained effort despite adversity, The Journal of General Psychology, 151:3, 271-313, DOI: 10.1080/00221309.2023.2253955