Finding one’s GRIT

There are times when leaders, anyone really, face what seem like insurmountable odds.

As a parent, I see the world that my four children (blended family) are inheriting, and know that they will face countless ‘-isms’ and fears and injustices and challenges… and I feel I need to do more. With the loving support from my Wife, I’ve started Insightful Path to help use the talents and experience that I’ve been blessed with, to help make the world our four children inherit… better.

As a young boy, my Grandmother gave me this book, titled “Prophet in the wilderness: The story of Albert Schweitzer”. Schweitzer was gifted. Blessed, really. He had good parents, and realised that he was capable of making change, yet for a while he wondered why it was that he was given his abilities and passions. And then he realised that his gifts weren’t for him, they were for the world… through him. He realised that if he didn’t develop his gifts and use them to make the world a better place, he wouldn’t be doing what he was ‘meant to do’ in his life.

After that realisation he never looked back. The ‘obstacles’ became ‘hurdles’ to overcome and make him stronger. I think of Schweitzer and my Grandmother often. My Grandma would always encourage me to be of use. To stoically and pragmatically think my way through difficulty. And to not get caught by the trap of identifying as a victim… regardless of the injustices and difficulties that we all face.

I think of my modern heroes - people like those (regardless of where on the gender spectrum they fall) who have experienced abuse and still have had the courage to continue to make a difference, even to publicly denounce the violence they were subjected to in their lives. I think of people who have experienced racism and still have the GRIT to continue to work to make the system better - regardless of the at times unclose-able gaps that need to be addressed.

This year, after starting Insightful Path, I started to make what will be a series of interviews, with some incredibly amazing people. People whom I admire, and people who have a story to tell that will make the world a better place. One of the ‘hurdles’ I face is that I am not a very ‘technical’ person. I am constantly learning how to capture and make the stories I record compelling and worth while for you. Yet I am often times racked with doubt about whether I am ‘enough’ to make this happen while facing the many hurdles that parenting, Covid, stress about war and acrimonious individuals in the world create. I wonder if my efforts will be enough to create the change in the world our children need to see, and I desperately want to see occur.

I have already interviewed 5 of my heroes (some of them know that they are my ‘heroes’ some may only suspect it). I am working to create short and sharp videos on my YouTube channel to help add ideas into our world to be the change we need to see. The first video was was on the importance of psychological safety. My skills as a video story teller are in their infancy yet my friend and one of my heroes Steve’s message was incredibly compelling - regardless of my technical video skills!

The second interview will be on how to bring out the best in your community - and how to connect with people regardless of their differences. This interview was with another of my heroes - a woman who champions connection and the promotion of the good work of others.

The third interview was with another of my heroes - a lawyer/socialworker/mediator and will be on how we can more productively approach conflict.

The fourth hero spoke with me today on on ideas to support better governance and the skills people need to have to both speak truth to power as well as hear truth when spoken.

And the fifth hero I interviewed spoke with me on the power of deep listening and the benefit of coaching.

I have more interviews lined up too - with people who have ideas that they’ve given their energy toward, people who struggled and found their ‘Grit’ in order to make the world better. I can’t give up, and I hope I am enough to get this message to you - the reader - so that your life can improve too. I have to believe that there is a soothing balm to my doubt and feelings of hopelessness that ariese when I am working in service of others.

I hope you also gain insights from these interviews of people whom I admire.