Sometimes, new things can feel very hard. According to research, sticking with goals over time is important to success and happiness and requires resilience, determination, discipline, focus and more.
Here are ways people with perseverance and grit think:
“I’ve always found that anything worth achieving will always have obstacles in the way and you’ve got to have that drive and determination to overcome those obstacles on route to whatever it is that you want to accomplish.” – Chuck Norris
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” – Victor Hugo
“The expert in anything was once a beginner.” – Helen Hayes
“Success is the sum of small efforts being repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas A. Edison
“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“I will keep smiling, be positive and never give up! I will give 100 percent each time I play. These are always my goals and my attitude.” – Yani Tseng, pro golfer
Here are some real people demonstrating perseverance: https://inspiremykids.com/values/perserverance/
Researchers tell us that if your child imagines being a character or a superhero, it is easier to focus on goals, cope with negative emotions, and resist immediate temptations.
In Mission:CONTROL!, Joseph imagines himself to be Robojo, who helped him resist the temptations of the TV, helped him focus on his goal of doing what his mom expected by activating Will Power, and helped him with his big feelings until they passed.
Application
Next time your child has difficulty doing what’s expected, see if it is easier if you can add in some play and imagination. For example, can your child become Captain Grit wearing a cape with a bold “G” on it?
If your child has lagging skills, you can keep track of skill-building by using a tool called scaling. If, on a scale of 1 to 10, a child reports being a 4 but wants to be an 8, you can ask your child what strategy could be used to get to a 5. Each small step builds skills that lead to that “8” and builds the grit and perseverance muscles.
Steps to take
Small step: What future self would you like to manifest through perseverance and grit? Use the scaling technique to help you figure out how you could do that, step by step.
Advanced step: Talk with your child about how learning about Legos (link below) made them feel. Ask them what similar challenge they are having and how they can persevere, like Ole.
Check it out
Get ready to "BLAST OFF" with Joseph and Gretchen in their exciting big feelings adventure "Mission: CONTROL! A Big Feelings Adventure!" Buy your copy here.
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