One of the best lessons shared by life and business coach James Arthur Ray is how to turn grit into greatness. James Arthur Ray teaches that it is easy to go the route of the masses, but much harder, yet more fulfilling, to develop grit and decide to live your own life.
And while James Arthur Ray knows that letting go of outside influences in order to live life on your own terms isn’t easy, he teaches that it is not supposed to be and the rewards of doing so are truly amazing.
James Arthur Ray has come up with four prerequisites to developing grit:
- Let go of outside influence and control
Setting your own goals and objectives is a precursor to grit. Letting go of what others think is essential and will truly allow you to develop the grit you need to be great.
- Let go of external motivation, move to inspiration and then transformation.
Motivation comes from outside sources but if you need it to succeed then you’re just a slave to those external sources. Inspiration comes from inside and is what we should all strive for. The inspiration that comes from finding ways to align your unique gifts with a purpose will drive you further than any external source of motivation could. Finally, there’s transformation which takes long-term commitment and hard work. Leaders must be willing to sacrifice for a cause far beyond their own personal comforts and needs.
- Let go of the need for approval from others
This isn’t an easy one because one of the five primary fears for humanity is the fear of loss or lack of approval. But letting this fear control you will hinder your success.
- Let go of and forgive the past
Baggage from your past can weigh you down and prevent you from turning your grit into greatness. Forgiving the past has three levels: forgiving yourself, forgiving others, and forgiving the situation.
James Arthur Ray cautions that none of these steps are easy to take but believes the results are certainly worth the effort.
Once these four steps are taken, you’re on your way to turning grit into greatness and living a much more fulfilling life. There are seven critical factors of having grit according to James Arthur Ray. They are:
- A Powerful Transforming Purpose (PTP)
While goals are motivating, a PTP is always more compelling and sustaining than any goal will ever be. Purpose centers on a unique contribution to the world. Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of life.
- Endurance
Having grit includes setting goals, intentions, direction, and purpose. All of these are typically met with extreme challenges that require extreme endurance to overcome.
- Stamina
Endurance is what gives you the energy to make it through trying periods, but stamina is what gives you the strength to sustain that grit for long periods of time. If your energy is off, you’ll never endure.
- Resilience
When adversity strikes on the way to achieving grit, it takes resilience to bounce back quickly. Resilience is having emotional strength and mental toughness; and it can be developed and strengthened over time.
- Aspiration
To many, it seems as though those with grit are constantly chasing success, accomplishment, and superiority. But this could not be further from the truth. Having grit and aspiration means living life to its fullest regardless of the outcome. People with aspiration go to bed at night knowing they’ve given their very best.
- Dedication
A person with grit and dedication find their calling, versus just a career. These individuals use their unique gifts to bring greatness to the world.
- Flow
There’s tremendous research conducted regarding the flow state, focused flow is a state of mind that is reported to be beyond description when it’s reached. You are totally immersed and enthralled with what you’re doing. Those who achieve greatness are typically obsessed with the object of their affection.
- Delayed Gratification
Delated gratification means paying the price now by giving up current comfort and good for a greater future. Having this discipline and foresight will lead to grit and greatness.
James Arthur Ray stands by, and lives his life and builds his business with these fundamentals of grit and the qualities of those who turn that grit into greatness.