How much can we take and keep moving forward?

Grit in my mind is the most important and undervalued skill you can possible possess. Even more so than IQ. You could be the smartest person in the world or the absolute best of the best in a certain field or line of work but if you don’t have what it takes to keep on going when everything around you seems to be falling apart or to push through that wall that seems to continually getting bigger and bigger then you’re never going to make it to the top. At least that’s what I’ve seen so far in my life.

I was given the ultimate compliment on a post game interview by A.J Hinch my first MLB manager with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the interview, when asked about me, he replied “Oeltjen is fun to watch right now, he does everything well but ultimately it’s the way he goes about, it’s the grit, it brings an energy to the fans to his teammates, to his manager that’s contagious an this team needs”

Thank you A.J. for the ultimate compliment and allowing me to find my true super power.

My ability to keep on going!!

I say this over and over again, there is nothing special about me, except the fact that I just keep going. That’s something that I really believe we all possess you just need to find that thing that you will stop at nothing for. That very thing your friends and family will constantly question you on.

Your obsession.

Right there and then you know you’re on the right track.

So the question on your mind I’m sure is “well how gritty am I?”

Take the Grit test.

After taking the Grit test you can also click below to find out your passion and perseverance test results as well.

The two big ideas about grit that have made Duckworth the number 1 researcher in the field of Grit famous are first, that it predicts success more reliably than talent or I.Q.; and second, that anyone, man or woman, adult or child, can learn to be gritty. So with that in mind lets get to work.

Select one answer for each item. Don’t overthink the questions.

Go with your first answer.

Not at all like me, Not much like me, Somewhat like me, Mostly like me, Very much like me

1. New ideas and projects sometimes distract me from previous ones. 5 4 3 2 1

2. Setbacks don’t discourage me. I don’t give up easily. 1 2 3 4 5

3. I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different one. 5 4 3 2 1

4. I am a hard worker 1 2 3 4 5

5. I have difficulty maintaining my focus on projects that take more than a few months to complete. 5 4 3 2 1

6. I finish whatever I begin. 1 2 3 4 5

7. My interests change from year to year. 5 4 3 2 1

8. I am diligent. I never give up. 1 2 3 4 5

9. I have been obsessed with a certain idea or project for a short time but later lost interest. 5 4 3 2 1

HOW TO SCORE THIS QUIZ?

To calculate your total grit score, add up all the points for the boxes you checked and divide by 10. The maximum score on this scale is 5 (extremely gritty), and the lowest possible score is 1(not at all gritty). Keep in mind that your score is a reflection of how you see yourself right now. How gritty you are at this point in your life might be different from how gritty you were when you were younger. And if you take the Grit Scale again later, you might get a different score.

Grit has two components: passion and perseverance. If you want to dig a little deeper, you can calculate separate scores for each component: For your passion score, add up your points for the odd-numbered items and divide by 5. For your perseverance score, add up your points for the even-numbered items and divide by 5.