The Key To Success

Grit has been the topic of discussion with two of my clients. These two clients
have many interests that they continually pursue and refine. They are incredibly
hard working and want to be more organized. One of my clients met Angela Duckworth, the author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. The author explores the reasons why talent is no guarantee of success and how effort has more
to do with it.

Success comes from a certain type of effort combined with deliberate practice and high-quality thoughtful goals. She states that “routines are a godsend when it comes
to doing something hard. Studies show that when you have a habit of practicing at the same time and in the same place every day, you hardly have to think about getting started. You just do.”

Grow Your Grit

Establishing habits and routines is what getting and staying organized is all about! Duckworth believes that you can grow your grit. I am intrigued and energized by this concept. She suggests these ways to do so:

• Cultivate your interests
• Develop daily habits
• Connect your work to a purpose beyond yourself
• Learn to hope when all seems lost
• Coaches (Professional Organizer), mentors, friends, teachers, bosses,
  and parents help grow your grit too!

Being Gritty

Pete Carroll, the coach for the Seahawks, shares his wisdom (I summarize) to not
beat yourself up about a decision if something doesn’t turn out the way you want it to. Reframe it as a not-so-great outcome. The decision “becomes a part of you, don’t ignore it, face it, and when it bubbles up, think about it and get on with it and use it. Use it.”

To be gritty is to:

• Keep putting one foot in front of the other
• Hold fast to an interesting and purposeful goal
• Invest, day after week after year, in improving skills
• Fall down seven times, and rise eight

We get one chance at life. I say to my clients regularly to be curious and not judgemental. Learn from our observations and experiment with new systems until something sticks. My work as an organizer is much more than organizing stuff—it’s helping people live their best life.

It is clearing out the internal and external clutter so that there is room to explore your passions and develop your interests.