Grit and Stories to Inspire It
What do children need now?
This is a question I often ask people, wondering what primary message they wish to offer the children of the world so that we can create the stories that meet the need. The answers are always inspiring and tender: nature, empathy, community, attachment, role models. The answers are all, of course, correct — and certainly worthy of a Sparkle Story.
A few weeks ago, I asked my 18-year-old nephew the same question and his answer was simple, elegant, and rang deeply true: “grit.”
“Grit” has been popping up a lot recently in social media, self-help books, public conversations, and podcasts — so let’s take a moment to be clear about the word.
Grit, as far as I understand it, is the ability to persevere through challenges and complete a task. Narratively, this looks like Finnian Carmichael enduring great hardship to follow his dream and become a successful glover in 18th-century London (see “(Grit and the Glover)[https://www.sparklestories.com/story/by-thistle-by-thimble-grit-and-the-glover/]” below). Or it is when Gwendele and her sister Safi do the hard work necessary to learn how to walk and then gallop (see “(Safi the Giraffe Calf)[https://www.sparklestories.com/story/sparkle-sleepytime-safi-the-giraffe-calf/]”).
But it is also what it takes to remember to take out the recycling, or to face an uncomfortable social situation at school, or to practice the trombone every afternoon. Many smart people are proposing that the single most important factor in business success is not talent, money, or education — it is grit.
And honestly, I tend to agree.
Clearly empathy, kindness, connection, and clarity are also essential to living a full, joyful, and abundant life — but grit needs to be a part of the mix in order to ride out the difficult times and finish what we start. If our stories have inspired you to learn more about how to cultivate grit in your own family (or your own life), you can find lots of resources out there — but this Ted Talk and this book are pretty good starting points.
May your life be abundant with grit. Let’s all figure out what is important … and then get it done!
About the Author
David Sewell McCann
David Sewell McCann fell in love with spinning stories in first grade – the day a storyteller came to his class and captured his mind and imagination. He has been engaged in storytelling all of his adult life through painting, film-making, teaching and performing. Out of his experience as a Waldorf elementary class teacher and parent, he has developed a four step method of intuitive storytelling, which he now shares through workshops and through this website.
