Building grit for physiotherapists

Michael Jordan, the GOAT, 6-time NBA champion once said “obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, do not turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” Or as the late rapper Tupac Shakur proclaimed, “be the rose that grew from concrete”. Learn to be gritty as a physiotherapist – be mentally strong and stay the course even when times are tough and turbulent. This pandemic has impacted the physiotherapy profession – massively.

Learning physiotherapists must adapt and pivot their practice and use the full compliment of their skillset, and predominantly the soft skills…to continue to flourish and make impact on clients and patients. 

All physiotherapists will encounter adversity and challenge in their career. It is part of the course. Failed interviews, limited patients due to covid-19, sub-optimal rehabilitation outcomes for patients, falling out of favour with team management and decision makers in sports physio environments, inaccurate diagnoses in private practice…the list could go on. 

The crucial part is how you bounce back and get back on the horse, or thread water for a period. How you surprise people and surpass initial expectations or perceptions of you as a physio – be that rose that grew from the dirt. How you use that painful experience as a learning point, reflect on it and get better and mentally more resolute from it. Struggle can make you better and define you as a learning physiotherapist…as the former England rugby player and captain Dylan Hartley says.

Grit is resisting complacency – it is about work ethic and effort, about determination and persistence…dedication and consistency to ride the hard times. Angela Duckworth, author of ‘Grit’ elaborates that “endurance is rare”. Show enthusiasm as a learning physiotherapist. Be enthusiastic over the long haul though, not just the short term. Be enthusiastic now if you can, even when the world is experiencing seismic shocks due to the virus. That is a separator and will make a difference for a career of learning and development, and impact for patients and your physio peer group.  

Grit is a predictor of long-term success and defined goals. It is the combination of passion and stickiness, so it is not hard to train. Build grit today as a physio practitioner. Firstly, define what it means for you. Take Duckworths’ grit test to understand how gritty you are. 

Build grittiness as a learning physiotherapist by small incremental wins each day. Push the boulder up the hill a little bit, each day. Be consistent and apply deliberate practice – forge habits into your lifestyle that fortify your grit, that build up your grittiness – that give you capacity to handle knocks that will come your way in physiotherapy. You will recover better from them with higher grit in your arsenal.

#learnandgiveback