Salon: GRIT AND GRACE

Popular notions of mindfulness and contemplation tend strongly toward “calming.” Yet “calming” only tells half the story, which can be deeply problematic when clarity and action are desired or called for. Alternatively, “grit and grace” resonates better with the professional audiences in business and healthcare that I work with. “Grit” captures focus and determination, while “grace” captures composure and compassion. Together these terms reflect in simple terms the mechanisms of “inner work” (managing one’s own nervous system) and “outer work” (managing one’s presence and influence in the world). In this salon, I invite reactions to this framing and seek ideas about how to support “grit and grace” with evidence-based research and wisdom traditions.

About Lili Powell
Lili Powell is Associate Professor at the Darden School and Nursing School and Director of the Compassionate Care Initiative. Learn more.

About Salon

Salons are monthly open dialogues on cutting-edge research related to contemplation and flourishing with UVA and local community members in the Contemplative Commons, hosted by the Contemplative Sciences Center's CIRCL: Contemplative Innovation + Research Co-Lab. Centered on a single word, these gatherings bring together scholars, scientists, and practitioners from diverse perspectives to exchange ideas, generate knowledge, and seek solutions to global challenges. CSC Research home.

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