All parents want their children to succeed in life.  To be happy, healthy and do something they love.  But the one thing I truly hope my children have in life is some good old grit.

I want them to know that as we travel through our journey there are employers who won’t hire us, promotions we won’t receive, and invitations to parties that never arrive.  There are always going to be people who put you down and say you aren’t good enough.  Because as an anonymous quote once said, “You aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.”  The thing is you have to remember what Don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements, said, “Nothing others do is because of you.”  What other people think of you is none of your business.

The only power you should give people who try to deflate you is the power to help you rise.  To work harder, think outside the box, and be you as only you can.

That’s grit.  The content of your character.  It’s what admissions boards, employers and life partners are looking for.

You will doubt yourself, you will fall and you will fail.  But that is always what comes first.  If you just keep moving forward, you will move that mountain one day.

As Travis Bradberry, emotional intelligence author, once said, “Grit is that ‘extra something’ that separates the most successful people from the rest. It’s the passion, perseverance, and stamina that we must channel in order to stick with our dreams until they become a reality.”

So if things don’t go your way today, remember the lesson offered and receive the gift of grit that will give you the life you truly deserve and desire.