My Best Self 101 Blog
While none of us enjoy setbacks, it’s important to remember that on the journey of life, every challenge is a stepping stone towards personal growth. While facing adversity is never easy, it can significantly transform you, shaping a more resilient, insightful, and compassionate individual. Today, My Best Self 101 explores how the obstacles we encounter can lead to profound personal transformation and ultimately, a richer, more fulfilling life.
As a child growing up on a cattle ranch nestled in the Northeastern Idaho mountains, grit was a physical presence. Grit was the wind blowing dust and debris into my eyes, nose, and mouth. Grit was the ring around my ankles and between my toes when pulling off crusty socks. Grit was sand and dirt in every bite of a sandwich pulled from saddlebags during a long cattle drive. Grit was everywhere, covering everything, as persistent as the smell of fresh manure. It was washed off in freezing mountain streams during hot July summers and again in steaming showers at the end of long, hard days.
At one point or another, we have probably all been told not to give up on something, whether it be a homework assignment, a challenging workout, or something as big as a career. We have also probably responded to such encouragement in different ways depending on the circumstance; perhaps one day, we are eager to push through a challenge, and another day, we might forgo a challenge in favor of comfort. However, when we abandon the easy route and do persevere through something that is hard for us, we feel rewarded at the end. Today, I want to explore perseverance and its rewards in more depth.
Innate intelligence and talent can’t be sole predictors of success because skill-building effort is required—which is great news! You can’t change your genetics, but you do have power over the effort you put into learning and accomplishing. Being successful and achieving your potential in life requires the exertion of your own will and energy.
