Build Uncommon Grit by Pursuing Long-Term Missions Despite Burnout and Criticism

You remember the hardest period you ever endured—a semester from hell, a brutal breakup, losing a job, or caring for a sick family member. Even recalling it feels exhausting. Maybe you woke each day dreading what would go wrong next, sometimes so anxious you skipped meals or lost sleep. Under the weight of it all, quitting felt not just reasonable but close to mercy.

Yet you didn’t quit, or at least not entirely. At some point, something—maybe a friend’s late-night text or a small win—gave you the spine to press on. Maybe you took a walk, revisited an old essay that reminded you why this mattered, or found catharsis in sharing how much it sucked. The toughest hours didn’t pass by accident. You chose, again and again, not to let pain dictate your direction.

Behavioral studies on grit show that those who plan concrete rituals for re-centering (calling a peer, taking structured breaks, repeating a personal motto) are far more likely to slog through the valley of doubt. In organizations, people who pre-commit to specific ‘stick with it’ actions—even if no reward is visible—are less derailed by criticism or fatigue. Sometimes progress is invisible until suddenly, stubbornly, things work—then, in retrospect, persistence looks like fate, not just grit.

Think honestly about the points when you’ve almost given up, and write down everything that made those moments so dark. Name the people or principles that still got you through. Now, choose and commit to two rituals—however small—that you’ll lean on when crisis hits again. Make a promise, in writing, not to walk away the next three times you’re ready to quit. Concrete preparation won’t guarantee easy days, but it can tip the odds in your favor next time you’re in the weeds.