I train BJJ and, less often but still regularly, MMA. We call it grit: when the going gets tough, a person's tendency to grit their teeth and keep going. When you get mounted, do you mentally give up and wait for the guy to submit you, or do you look for every opportunity to escape? When you take a knee to the stomach, do you double-over and try to get a break in the sparring session, or do you clinch with the guy and re-double your efforts to pin him against the cage?
I've seen many different people train over the years, and I think grit can be acquired. Hard training encourages it. But, on the other hand, I think some people start out grittier than others. I have some training partners who never really acquired much grit. Those without much grit in training tend not to have much grit off the matt.
This is a long way of saying that while those examples aren't particularly impressive, I still think grit matters in areas that don't require physical exertion.
"We call it grit: when the going gets tough, a person's tendency to grit their teeth and keep going."
Startups (and other intellectual and business ventures) are not sports though. This is a double-edged sword.
Sometimes "grit" means that you push through the tough parts. This is good, and absolutely necessary for success in anything. But sometimes it means that you fail repeatedly by making the same mistake repeatedly because you mistake self-reflection and course correction for weakness and refuse to learn anything.
I've seen many different people train over the years, and I think grit can be acquired. Hard training encourages it. But, on the other hand, I think some people start out grittier than others. I have some training partners who never really acquired much grit. Those without much grit in training tend not to have much grit off the matt.
This is a long way of saying that while those examples aren't particularly impressive, I still think grit matters in areas that don't require physical exertion.