Tenacity > Talent

Life's unfair — obviously. Some people seem to have so many talents while others . . .

But you know what evens things out? Hustle!

No, we can't control how many natural gifts we receive but we can control our effort, grit, and tenacity! And as it turns out, tenacity is more predictive of success than talent anyway!

But this isn't the easiest thing to remember when we're overwhelmed or worrying that we're not enough.

When I began my doctorate I freaked out. I was terrified! I felt like I was in WAY over my head for sure! Who did I think I was trying to get a Ph.D.? Doctorates are for super-smart brainiacs! Sure, I made good grades, but I'm no genius!

I called my dad for support. He had a Ph.D. so he'd been there done that. He shared a memory from his days at the University of Michigan when he was feeling the same anxiety.

I'll never forget what he said.

"Karin, I felt the same way in grad school. But my buddies and I used to remind each other, 'It won't be the smartest of us that will make it through—it’ll be the most tenacious!' And we were right. We saw a lot of brilliant students drop out because they didn't have the grit. In the end, fortitude prevailed over smarts."

So yeah, life's not fair. But the beauty is, we have everything we need to succeed because tenacity is 100% in our control!

As my dad used to say to me, "Make it happen, Doll Babe!"

#tenacity #hardwork #effort #grit