Living Unshakable GRIT in a Divided America

Division is everywhere right now — politics, workplaces, families, even friendships.
And honestly? It reminds me of who I was before sobriety and in those shaky early days.

Back then, I hung out with people who drank like I did. If you didn’t, I didn’t want you around. Why? Because you might judge me, call me out, or try to fix what I didn’t see as a problem. So I stayed with “my people” — the ones who drank hard and lived in denial like me.

The deeper I got stuck in alcoholism, the more I pushed away anyone who wasn’t like me. My world got darker, smaller, and one-sided.

And doesn’t that sound a lot like America right now?
We stick to our own camps. We surround ourselves with people who think, vote, believe, and post like we do. We push away anyone who doesn’t agree. We demonize “the other side.” And just like me in my drinking days, that keeps our world divided, narrow, and toxic.

Here’s what sobriety taught me:
The only way out of division is truth. Owning my part. Pausing before I react. Building connection instead of isolation. That’s where GRIT comes in:

• Growth: I stop blaming “them” and ask, what can I learn here?

• Resilience: I keep showing up with kindness, even when it’s not returned.

• Integrity: I let my actions line up with my values, not my anger.

• Tenacity: I refuse to quit on relationships or conversations, even when they’re uncomfortable.

The world may stay divided, but I don’t have to be. Sobriety gave me a way to live unshakable in the middle of chaos — and GRIT is how I practice it every day.

If division feels heavy for you, try this question from the 30-Day GRIT Challenge:
What story have I been repeating to myself that might no longer serve the person I want to become?

Because sometimes the story we’re clinging to is the very thing keeping us divided from others, and from ourselves.