Who is my Gritsperation?
My Gritsperation is my great gran. Gran was born in 1924, grew up in post-ww1 England, before moving to Africa when she was 4 in 1928. Gran lost her first husband when she was young, in the 1950s, his death was an accidental murder at work. As a widowed woman, she showed grit to raise her 2 young daughters in a time where the male did all the work and females stayed home. She defied stereotypes and worked for the family income, she lived through the great depression, helped in world war 2 efforts, and gave up her education for her dream job to help with the war. When her youngest daughter was 18, they moved to New Zealand, then her daughter moved to Perth and got married, my grandma had my uncle by the time Gran moved to Perth, then my Dad was born. She lived to be 96, and passed away November 2020, with 2 daughters, 2 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.
A time you showed grit?
I showed my grit in 2016, when I fell off a playground, and broke my elbow (cracking my lower funny bone/humorous bone). Through this time I was placed in a cast from the bottom of my fingers to my shoulder on my right arm. I am right-handed, and was in this cast from September to January, in the hottest months of the year. Through this time I learned to be ambidextrous when a person can work and write with both hands. At the school I was at, we didn’t have access to computers, so I was forced to teach myself to write with my left hand, and do everything with my left hand. During this time I also endured 2 surgeries, the 1st to place in the pins because my break was so bad, and the second to remove them. My family thinks that because it was one of the most painful breaks you can get, has now resulted in when I knock my elbow I don’t even flinch because it doesn’t hurt as much. I also still have a scar where I broke it.
Activities that can grow grit:
There are many activities you can do to build grit, you just have to be willing to stick with it long enough no matter how hard it gets.
- Playing a team sport
It doesn’t sound like much but playing a team sport can increase your grit because you have to be willing to stick with it, through the good and the bad.
- Making friends
To make friends you can build grit because no matter how tough it gets, you are willing to stick by them.
- Trying a new activity
Trying a new activity requires grit and builds grit because you won’t be an expert at first, and it takes time to learn a new activity. This can also build resilience and perseverance because you are not gonna be the great the first time but you can improve,