As a follow-up to my previous blog Are You Gritty?, I discussed the theory behind why some students fail while others succeed.  The theory isn’t based on one’s IQ but rather, it’s based on one’s grittiness. “Grit” is related to how much one can inspire themselves and sustain motivation to achieve their goals.

I promised to follow up with a few tips on how you as Master Educators can help students develop and grow their grit. This week’s tip is REFLECT.

Reflection allows you to bring awareness in a focused way to the things that you have accomplished and the path you wish to continue on. There are many different forms of reflection, whether it be meditation, journaling, or simply having a moment of silence.  The result is, we allow ourselves to think back on our day in a non-judgmental way. We can see what we have accomplished and what action steps we need to take tomorrow to keep meeting our goals.

Try the following reflection activity in the classroom or within the student salon to help your students grow their grit. I always love ending my day identifying three things that I accomplished and one thing that I would like to improve upon over the next few days.  At the end of your students’ day, simply ask them to reflect on what they accomplished during their day and something that they would like to improve upon. Ask them to either journal it or ask if they would like to share it with the class.

Reflection of one’s successes builds their personal level of confidence and their level of GRIT.