BYU-Idaho is holding a five-part workshop based on a popular self-help book called “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth. The Get Grit Workshop last happened back in 2019. It’s now back thanks to a BYU-Idaho social work intern, Madi Galer.
“I heard about it last semester. It was my first semester being an intern here and I thought it sounded really cool. I read this book, ‘Grit,’ and kind of wanted to resurrect this workshop,” Galer said.
Galer works with Mariah Arlint, another social work intern, to run the workshop. The two of them put together the curriculum with the help of Duckworth’s book, and instruct the group.
“She starts out by talking about the military academy West Point and what allows the cadets there to get through the hardest week at West Point, and she said it wasn’t their talent that they had, it wasn’t their level of athleticism that they had, it was their grit,” Arlint said.
Duckworth’s definition of grit is “passion and perseverance for long term goals,” and that is the focus of the workshop. One principle Galer shared is the PLEASE skill.
“It basically describes some really simple steps that you can take to take care of your physical body,” Galer said. “We started out with this because we feel like it’s really important to be in a good physical and mental space before you try and apply grit to a specific talent or area of your life.”
The workshop ends with a concept called self compassion, which focuses on the importance of being gentle with yourself when you’re trying to develop grit.
In addition to gaining knowledge about growing grit, you can also get a free T-shirt and some Counseling Center swag just for showing up.
The five-part workshop will continue every Tuesday at 6 p.m. until May 25. A new workshop series begins June 8 and goes until July 6. You can find the Zoom link here.