Grit, as defined by Angela Duckworth, is passion and perseverance.
Looking back and reflecting, I believe I am a gritty person, but mainly when it revolves around 3 things; education, marketing and food and culture.
Like anyone, growing up there were lots of things I started and quit. Piano, tae kwon do, and ballet, to name a few. But there were three things that always made me come alive, stick with it and persevere. These same three things still invigorate me and keep me moving forward. My top level goals, the ideas that drive me, my passions.
Education and learning have always been a priority for me. Through many moves, schools and sometimes teaching myself on the road, I always persevered. I always wanted to learn more and grow. In college, when I couldn't afford tuition and housing, I didn't give up. I found a job I could work 35 hours a week to cover costs. When people thought I was crazy for wanting to get an MBA because of my other obligations, I decided to start anyway (although they may have been right!). I continue to pursue education because it is one of my passions, no matter how difficult, time consuming or inconvenient it is.
Marketing has also always been a passion of mine, though I don't think I always knew I was marketing. Correcting lighting experts and planning out flyers for my mom's shows as a child, or arranging swag tables or Mary Kay make up just so, I was definitely an odd one! I have always loved people, getting creative, thinking outside of the box, data and analysis. When I found out this was called marketing, I was ecstatic! I decided to dual major in marketing and management at UNR and ran with it. Now, when I see that beautiful positive trend line or a spike in organic reach, my little hearts is all aflutter. This is definitely what I was meant to do. Marketing and grit go hand in hand. Marketing takes practice, effort, persistence, and most of the time you still won't hit the nail on the head. Marketing is a constant learning curve that nobody has figured out, and nobody ever will. If someone comes up to you and says "We have this widget that will solve all of your marketing problems! It will get you to page 1 of Google and boost your revenue and get your 3 billion customers and make you poop golden eggs!" They are lying, and they are not marketers.
My third passion is food. I LOVE food. Not like, "oh ya, I like pizza", no, my life pretty much revolves around food. My trips, my vacations, my days even my workout schedule, it all comes back to food. Personal side note, I literally worked my ass off at the gym (10 lbs to be exact) before I went to Italy, just so I could gain at least 10 lbs when I was there and not feel guilty about it! What I love most about food is learning another culture through flavor. Everywhere I have ever been, people can be going about their day, maybe kind of gloomy, then you ask "what is good to eat here?" and every single person will light up. They will share their recommendations, explain why you should eat gelato in Rome or stinky tofu in Taiwan or ceviche in Costa Rica. You get to know them and their culture by eating. What better way to learn! The grittiness comes when you want to make that dish and inspire others to learn about this new culture. Getting different country's dishes right takes practice, planning and hard work! But it's so worth it when you see smiling, satisfied faces who are newly interested in a new country or region.
Anyone who knows me well, knows that this pretty much sums it up. Learn, Market, Eat, Repeat. Anyone who knows me also knows I work fiercely hard at learning, marketing and yes even eating. The book "Grit" by Angela Duckworth was a great read that really inspired me to think about these passions in a new light and to try and piece together how these passions can all fit together to be one big, top level goal. A marketing professor who teaches with food? Still working on it... Stay tuned!
