When I was at yoga this week, the instructor said something that struck me.  She said that when you meditate or breathe during a trying situation, you don’t send what is troubling you away.  You calm yourself enough to sit in the turmoil.  To ground yourself in the eye of the storm and know you can survive it.

A great reminder that it’s not about life being perfect.  About all the challenges going away.  It’s about meeting those challenges head on and growing through them.

The feelings, the people, the bills, the health issues, the job losses,  the leaky roof or the broken washing machine.  Each one of us has a story that we are living.  And if we can learn to sit where we are and deal with the downswings, we will be better for it.  And it will increase our grit which is a game-changer in life.

Professor of Psychology and author Angela Duckworth said, “Grittier students are more likely to earn their diplomas; grittier teachers are more effective in the classroom. Grittier soldiers are more likely to complete their training, and grittier salespeople are more likely to keep their jobs. The more challenging the domain, the more grit seems to matter.”

So here’s to earning our grit, grounding ourselves where we are and knowing we are growing with every challenge we face today and always.