My Dad is an avid fan of John Wayne western movies, and so for Christmas I bought him the DVD box set of all John Wayne’s classic western movies. We watched one of them called ‘True Grit’. I have seen the newer 2010 version of this old classic but I way prefer the original from 1969.

If you ever watch this movie you’ll see that John Wayne plays a tough old marshal called Rooster Cogburn who’s referred to as a man with ‘true grit’ and a reputation for getting the job done.

Setting aside westerns, what does having ‘grit’ actually mean? (not the gravel definition of course!). According to the Oxford dictionary it means “firmness of mind or spirit; unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger”.

There are many examples of people in history who have displayed ‘grit’. Think of Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa and if you believe in Christianity, Jesus Christ of course.

When boiled right down, ‘grit’ is an attitude. People who display this trait are defiant when going against the odds. They are steadfast, consistent, have stickability and self-belief. They never give up and never give in. To put this in the context of our health and fitness goals: it’s not giving in to treats when you are facing peer pressure; it’s not chucking in the towel when the weight loss slows down; nor is it looking for quick fixes and short cuts.

In simple terms it is pure determination. There are two ways of looking at the meaning of determination. It can refer to your character OR it can mean a final outcome but weirdly the two are interestingly related as this illustrates – “Your determination determines the determination of your life”.

So my question to you is – how will you develop ‘grit’ and just as important maintain it in 2013?

I don’t want you to be another wishy-washy statistic, someone who fails to reach their goals. I don’t want you to be ‘another one bites the dust’ as the song by Queen says. So hatch a plan, and bullet proof your success for 2013. May you become like John Wayne and get ‘Grit’.