The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be out-worked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things you got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there’s two things: You’re getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple, right? ~ Will Smith

  I have given up a lot in life.  I am not proud of it, but its true.

I was a really talented kid.  Academics came easy. Meeting people just happened naturally….no socially awkward moments. Folks liked me and I never had to put forth a whole lot of effort.

 I was charming.  Sometime in certain situations it was enough.

So whenever faced with something that I could not do well. …I mean do well immediately, the first time out the gate. I did what all genius’ do… I quit.

Gave up.                      

Mocked it.

Announced it wasn’t cool.

I was such a douche, but those days are over.   The older  Desiree knows this to be true: You will not outwork me. You will not out hustle me .

In my youth I was not willing to do the one thing that would have brought me victory.

Follow through.

 The researcher’s call it deliberate practice. I call it showing up and doing the work.

Deliberate practice isn’t fun and is consistently rated as the least enjoyable form of self-improvement ever in the history of the world. EVER.

Success in the real world depends on sustained performance, on being able to work hard at practice and at the day to day grind. The differences between expert performers and normal adults  is not due to some magic gene, or status or class , privilege or IQ.  The differences reflect a life-long period of deliberate effort to improve performance.

Showing up and doing the work. Not whining about it, not talking about  it, not dreaming about it.

Working. … Action and heart moves the needle.

It takes grit to not give up, to stay in the game and show up every day. When things are hard, and uncomfortable. When things feel unsafe  and you feel alone.

 I wasn’t born with grit, but over the years I have taught myself to be grittier. I have raised my grit score and in so raised my level of success.  The grittier person runs the marathon, not the sprint.

So can you.

We have test that measure  IQ and to some extent talent, but no one has come up with a test to predict if you will show up and do the work.

No one knows that but you.