GRIT!
“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.” ~ David Bly
This quotation has been a model for me and is now something I carry throughout my life. I stumbled across this quote my senior year of high school when a teacher assigned us to find a quote that we could use to explain ourselves. I chose this one. When we want to make an impact on someone’s life, it is important to make sure our intentions match up and are compatible. Then we can better see how our own experiences can be integrated into theirs to form one new team that can work together towards a goal. This idea plays into the word that has so much meaning and power, GRIT. Grit is courage and resolve, the idea of strength of character.
My experience with grit is portrayed through the purpose of the backbone. The human body has 206 bones at adulthood that all serve a significant purpose and are used at different times of activity. For example, the human jaw, the mandible, is what allows us to talk and communicate our thoughts and ideas. Our carpals, bones in the hands and wrists, help us to have the strength to swing a hammer or conduct an orchestra. But one of the strongest and most important parts of the body, and the one that connects the central nervous system, is the thoracic vertebrae or the backbone. The backbone is composed of 33 individual bones, each of which serves a unique and different purpose. This is true grit. It is the ability to work together and share true passion.
Entrepreneurship is a shared passion. An entrepreneur is someone who will go above and beyond to make a difference in something they have a passion for. We all have a vested interest in making a difference, so why not share a passion? God created the body to be able to form together and work together. When we partner together, we can create grit. We are able to put a backbone into an idea and make it become a reality. Being able to go above and beyond for a project and making it a passion and never giving up on it is why the University of Nebraska’s Engler Entrepreneurship program is breeding success. The program is nurturing entrepreneurs and building enterprises that encompass true grit--all with the idea of making a difference.