Gasping in a blinding pain inside my heart, with one hand holding my left ankle and the other hand clenched into a fist, I fell down on the field. It is difficult to accurately convey pain, no matter how specific its cause or location, to an audience comfortably listening to my account of this agonizing incident. More than four years have passed, but I can still vividly remember my unfortunate injury, and the instrumental role grit played in helping me overcome it.
It was a regular Monday afternoon, back in 4th grade, and I was playing soccer in my school club as an afternoon activity. During the game, one of my good friends and teammates eagerly ran toward me in order to defend against my shot. Without malicious intent, his tackle injured my left ankle. The resulting pain indicated more than a simple injury. It was my first major setback as an athlete, and it stopped me from playing sports for many months. When the doctor examined the x-ray, he announced that it was a severe ligament rupture. If the injury was even slightly more severe, I would have had to undergo surgery. At that moment, my world stopped and the doctor’s voice could barely penetrate the ringing in my ears. Since my life was all about sports, it was incredibly shocking for me to accept this terrible verdict. For a while, I kept denying what had happened to me, but after I had a cast on my foot and crutches under my arms, I could not run away from it. I simply had to face it. Sitting on the sidelines instead of running on the field required that I change my lifestyle, and it was very frustrating for me. Having the cast on for more than three months, I was overwhelmed with sadness and frustration. Since it occurred during the winter, this injury also terminated my ski season for that year. The rehab was grueling and seemed endless. Although I had to do seemingly interminable tasks such as riding a cycle, doing steps, stretching, strengthening my ankles, I persevered. Since I recognized the personal significance of soccer and skiing, I was deeply motivated to overcome this predicament that lasted for half a year and kept me from playing sports for nearly a year. Although some people might have succumbed to this hardship, I chose not to give up on my passion, thereby eventually made my love for athletics even stronger. This injury did not scare me away or stop me. My resilience and diligence kicked in, which ultimately enabled me to pursue my passion which still exists today.
Before this event, I did not know how one’s passion and perseverance could lead one to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. However, I now realize that it was all about grit, and I believe in GRIT. We often ask questions such as, “Who are the top leaders in business, art, athletics, and academia? What makes them special?” I now know that it does not necessarily require aptitude or luck. It was not having stratospheric IQ scores and a flair in athletics or arts that shaped successful people’s present and future. Being passionate about a certain goal and having perseverance made high achievers special. People who succeed are zealous and determined to achieve a long-term objective with a powerful motivation.
Grit is an universally accessible characteristic. Anyone can obtain it, if they have a firmness of mind to reach their goal with unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger. The first step is to start thinking of your big goal. Once you figure it out, set a concrete goal or focus. In the book Grit, written by Angela Duckworth, Warren Buffett, a chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway and one of the most successful investors in the world, is cited as having said, “I created a plan of milestones to achieve that goal and I did not de-vi-ate from it until I had reached it.” Everyone has different perceptions of what it means to be successful, and I think one can claim success when one has achieved one’s own goal. I acknowledge that I have learned to have grit from failures and hardships that I have encountered. Perhaps, I now believe that it takes grit to succeed in life. This I believe.