December 18, 2023

Below is a lesson from Psychology Today on 5 ways to cultivate grit as 2023 comes to a close, as well as our key learnings.

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Finishing Strong

How grit can get you through the final stretch.

Posted December 8, 2023 | Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer

December has arrived and you may feel like you can’t wait for a much-needed break. It may seem like the end of a long year, with what’s happening in the world and in your own life. But before you look ahead to the holidays or the New Year, it’s worth taking a look back, too, at goals you set last January. Reflecting on your resolutions or vision board, are there some forgotten promises you made to yourself? What would it mean to tackle some — or even one — of them and finish your year strong?

 Continue reading here.

Key Learnings:

• It may seem like the end of a long year, with what’s happening in the world and in your own life. But before you look ahead to the holidays or the New Year, it’s worth taking a look back, too, at goals you set last January. 
• To finish 2023 strong, you can cultivate grit — the courage and resolve to achieve your goals.

• 5 Ways to Cultivate Grit and Finish Strong:

  • Focus. Identify an area of life that needs your attention. Recall what was important to you when you started the year and what you wanted to achieve to provide a starting place. Find a way to shore up that area so you’re feeling balanced.
  • Decide what’s achievable. What can you do in the weeks that are left in the year? Triage what’s possible and what can wait. Part of having grit, and finishing strong, is being realistic about what you can accomplish once you target your energy and attention.
  • Encourage yourself. You may be tempted to beat yourself up for not meeting or getting farther along with your goals by now. Resist judging yourself and simply notice where you are and what you’re excited about. If you focus on accepting yourself, flaws and all, unconditionally, you can turn your energy away from self-criticism and toward behaviors or ways of thinking that you can change.
  • Turn a “no” into a “yes!” Achieving a goal may involve removing barriers in your path. Having grit means not accepting no for an answer when something is important to you, but persevering and figuring out what you need to do to move forward.
  • Find inspiration. To help you stay on track, consider someone who has achieved what you aspire to, or someone who operates by a code that resonates with you.