How to Develop True Grit

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In 1968, Charles Portis’ book True Grit was released. The book and two subsequent movies told the story of a young woman’s pursuit of justice in the American West circa the 1870s.

But that plot was more window dressing for a far more interesting story of an aging, curmudgeonly U.S. marshal who went by the moniker Rooster Cogburn. Cogburn was the agent through whom Mattie Ross would seek justice for her father's death.

That pursuit would be an arduous and dangerous endeavor. Mattie chose Cogburn over other lawmen for this ordeal because he possessed a trait she believed was essential. When Mattie first meets Marshal Cogburn, she describes that trait, “They tell me you are a man of true grit.”

True Grit

So, what is “grit,” and why is it important? Simply said, grit may be considered a strength of character and an indomitable attitude. Grit is important because it is associated with a prophetic, optimistic attitude and tenacious pattern of behavior. Science teaches us that fortitude is likely a more powerful predictor of success than aptitude (Oden, 1968).

Marshal Cogburn is portrayed as an imperfect person with a somewhat dubious past, but who in later life seemed to follow a more steady moral compass, at least in matters of concern to Mattie.

Mary Pickford once famously said, “This thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling, but the staying down. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.”

The Nature of True Grit

Over the last 43 years, I have continued to review and analyze the nature of “true grit" as it has revealed itself among disaster survivors, special-forces operators, law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and even professional athletes. Though it goes by many names in the previous and extant literature, several recurring themes seem associated with the strength of character and indomitable human resilience (Everly & Lating, 2019). People with “true grit”...:

1. Don’t fear failure or rejection. They don’t avoid challenges; they embrace challenges.
2. Take control of, and responsibility for, their actions, never trying to hide mistakes. They learn from their mistakes.
3. Refuse, in the wake of failure, to feel sorry for themselves and tenaciously act to achieve their goals or quickly recognize futility and change direction, but they are always advancing.
4. Resist peer pressure, never letting others pressure them into doing something unhealthy.
5. Actively pursue their goals, never feeling entitled nor passively waiting for or demanding someone to give them happiness or success.

And the great news, according to Mary Pickford, is, “If you have made mistakes, even serious mistakes, you may have a fresh start any moment you choose.”

That is the story of Cogburn. But perhaps the most compelling story of true grit resides with Ross, who found justice for her father. Rather than feel sorry for herself, she was guided by a strong moral compass and tenaciously sought to take control of the pursuit of justice when the system failed her.

Fearlessly, she rejected the convention that she was too young and incapable. In the final analysis, Ross, more than Cogburn, exemplified the notion, "With strength of mind and true grit, destiny will follow."

© George S. Everly, Jr., PhD, 2023.