How can you be “grittier”?

The military now incorporates methods to encourage grit. I’ve posted aboutmany techniques that increase willpower and persistence but one I think is especially good is focusing on improvement.

When challenged, focus on “getting better” — not doing well or looking good. Get-better goals increase motivation, make tasks more interesting and replenish energy.

Via Nine Things Successful People Do Differently:

Get-better goals, on the other hand, are practically bulletproof. When we think about what we are doing in terms of learning and mastering, accepting that we may make some mistakes along the way, we stay motivated despite the setbacks that might occur… The amazing thing was that the people who were pursuing get-better goals (i.e., who saw the test as an opportunity to learn a new problem-solving skill) were completely unaffected by any of our dirty tricks. No matter how hard we made it, these participants stayed motivated and did well.

Why is it that grit is so good at predicting success? Sure, more attempts and more practice pay off, but research is also showing that “both hope and despair are self-fulfilling prophecies.”