Are you Grinding?
Do you even know what it means to Grind?
Lots of people talk about “The Grind” but what does it mean for you?
This is what will likely be a series about what it means to Grind and how you can do it better. I will start with this example. It is an excellent (basketball related) excerpt about “The Grind” from Coach John Calipari’s book, “Players First”…
Weekends, holidays, just about every chance I got I was in the gym working on my game. I’d take shots from different parts of the floor, practice foul shots, work on my ball handling. I wrote down everything I did. I tell my guys now: “You’ve got to love the grind.” That’s something they probably hear from me more than anything else. You’ve got to love the grind. Embrace the work. Embrace the sweat. Embrace the pain.
And keep track of it all, because it keeps you honest. You’ve got to chart a workout and chart your shots. If there’s not something measurable, it’s not real. You say to yourself, I’m taking five hundred shots before I leave this gym, and I’m doing it every day. Count them up and write down how many you made.
Are you grinding towards your goal?
The Grind is about making progress. It’s not always big steps. Sometimes the improvement is almost imperceptible it is so small. Sometimes you try something and it doesn’t work or, worse, it sets you back 5 steps. The Grind is about wanting something enough that you are willing to keep persisting even when the going gets rough.
Here’s a quote and some explanation from an author, Ed Mylett, whose book, “One More”, I read this summer…
“It’s what you do when you aren’t motivated that determines success or failure.” – Ed Mylett
Ed explains … “Everyone has limits, and it’s natural for motivation to wane over time. When this happens, it’s crucial to examine your mindset. Being unmotivated happens to everyone; it’s an opportunity to look closely at when you need to power through and when you may need to step away to avoid burnout, overwhelm, or other health challenges. By balancing what absolutely must be done along with rest and relaxation time, you set yourself up for long term success.”
The Grind has 3 parts…
- Know what you want.
- Go after it.
- Don’t stop until you get it.
Where are you relative to your goal? Are you Grinding now so you will have success when it counts? In basketball, the summer is the best time to Grind because your competition might be taking days off. They might be relaxing and thinking that since they were successful last season, they will be successful next season.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. The summer is the time when you pass your competition. You try new things. You work out and gain strength. You add skills. You take all aspects of your game to a new level.