A former drug dealer and gang banger, Pedro Rubio has spent time tutoring children, mentoring at-risk students, involvement with the PTA for his nephew and niece, and volunteers at hospitals and fire stations. A graduate of the prestigious Georgetown University, Pedro has managed construction contracts for the Federal Government with the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, the Department of Interior/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and the Department of Health and Human Services. After a failed attempt to become one of the first Latino persons elected to public office in Washington D.C., Pedro was trained to become a LifePlan facilitator and developed The Blueprint Process, a life-planning organization whose mission is to provide the tools and strategies that will give someone a clear vision for the life they believe they’ve been created to live.
Sometimes there are no words to capture profound moments of disbelief, heartbreak, pain, and grief. Our heartfelt prayers and deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends affected by Sunday’s devastating helicopter crash tragedy in Calabasas, California that claimed the lives of NBA superstar legend Kobe Bryant, his 13 year old daughter Gianni, John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan.
Kobe Bryant lived 41 years of uncommon achievement, epitomizing what it meant to be deeply in love with your craft and family. He was, of course, a rare athletic talent whose combination of extraordinary skill met an unparalleled work ethic. Kobe showed us when those two forces combined with the right mindset, anything could be conquered.
In essence, Kobe stood for everything we strive to convey as it relates to grit — choosing passion over distraction — one of the five choices of the code of influence.
But more important than the 33,643 career points, 18 All-Star appearances, the five NBA world championship rings, and the countless other accolades, Kobe Bryant was a father and husband. Kobe was a son, a brother, a storyteller, an Oscar winner, an entrepreneur, a servant leader, a trailblazer, a dream maker, and a transcendent force who inspired greatness.
Was Kobe Bryant perfect? Far from it. But as Bryan Stevenson has communicated to the world of late through the film Just Mercy, each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. Your own healing is the greatest message of hope you can give the world. That in and of itself is a testament to grit. And that, by every indication, was a major part of Kobe Bryant’s story.
We may never have the chance to witness someone as talented and passionate as Kobe. But we can all instill in those we lead his commitment to excellence and his willingness to relentlessly improve and get better. When the best or worst of the next generation of leaders we lead takes time off, misses a commitment, or rests on his or her laurels, we can forever use Kobe Bryant’s example for generations to come.
Tell them legendary stories of Kobe flying back from a night game in Denver when he didn’t shoot well and heading right to the gym for an intense early-morning shooting session. Tell them the story of Kobe waking up his strength coach at the U.S. Olympic trials at 4 a.m. for a workout, then having the trainer leave at 8 a.m. for a few more hours of sleep, only to find Kobe still in the gym shooting when he got back at 1 p.m. Kobe’s life and legacy span beyond any basketball court. Kobe was more than an athlete, champion, and icon. And it wasn’t just with basketball. We now know that Kobe and daughter Gigi attended church that fateful morning of the helicopter crash. At 7:00 am. He consistently chose passion over distraction.
Our society was not just captivated by how Kobe played, but also by how he led, how he served, and how he thought. Kobe showed up every day and fearlessly utilized his 86,400 seconds of opportunity to the fullest with great detail, consistency, discipline, tenacity, perseverance, courage and grace. He was obsessed with greatness and allergic to mediocrity. And most importantly, he considered being the father of four beautiful daughters his most important calling — a calling he wanted to excel in more than any other.
For 41 years, he won and excelled at the most precious game called life.
So here is a question for us all to wrestle with:
What is it in your life that you are the most Kobe-like in choosing passion over distraction? In the scope of eternity, does whatever your answer is really matter? Why or why not?
In this Episode’s Version, we asked you to read the story of Ira Glass, host and executive producer of the popular National Public Radio show, This American Life.
Nobody wants to show you the hours and hours of becoming.
They’d rather show the highlight of what they’ve become.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:10 NLT…
But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.
People of faith — especially Christians — have an interesting habit of labeling things by their respective belief system of choice. We love to speak about a thing as if it is a much more special thing when stamped with our particular “brand” or nuance. Music takes on a different aura when called Christian music. So does television, movies, radio, politics. We even start calling things like character, love, hope, and faith itself as Christian — differentiated somehow by any other by a simple label.
Let’s consider this: if God is a God of truth, then all truth is of God. And if all truth is of God, then needing to specifically label a truth as Christian seems unnecessary and misaligned. If we have to label a truth or a thing as Christian, perhaps we should examine exactly why we feel the need to do so.
And why do we bring this up?
We read recently that someone had even differentiated between grit and Christian grit. One might speculate that Christian faith—and its inherent obligations of dependence—dilutes grit. Perhaps praying people work less hard because they seek divine help. But this conclusion doesn’t hold up. Faith doesn’t necessarily have to serve as lazy excuse and lack of grit.
One could also argue that faith—and its eternal hope—degrades earthly ambition. Maybe when people focus on heaven, they fail to make spectacular achievements on earth. But this hardly seems true. As C. S. Lewis noted in Mere Christianity, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.” As a person of faith, you shouldn’t be less gritty and less ambitious and less achieving than someone else. Our earthly work is consecrated to the highest good. We work as “for the Lord and not for men.”.
It does seem fair to identify an irreducible tension between grit and grace, which Paul’s own life bears out. Paul writes “But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.”
On the one hand, Paul defends his stewardship of God’s grace by his grit. And on the other, Paul acknowledges that even his grit has been empowered by grace. In other words, grace should make us gritty. And grittiness is one of grace’s good gifts.
Think about this:
What is the correct relationship between grace and grit? Is there a best way to balance the two? Is balance even possible? Which one do you struggle the most and why?
We encouraged you to grab some friends and connect to Amazon Prime to watch The Aeronauts starring Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne and written by Jack Thorne.
In 1862, daredevil balloon pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) teams up with pioneering meteorologist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) to advance human knowledge of the weather and fly higher than anyone in history. While breaking records and advancing scientific discovery, their voyage to the very edge of existence helps the unlikely pair find their place in the world they have left far below them. But they face physical and emotional challenges in the thin air, as the ascent becomes a fight for survival. This is a journey to the very edge of existence, where the air is thin and the chances of survival are slim. As their perilous ascent reveals their true selves, this unlikely pair discover things about each other – and themselves – that helps each of them find their place in the world they have left behind.
The message of The Aeronauts is profound: You don’t change the world by looking at it but by how you choose to live in it. What does that sentence “You don’t change the world by looking at it but by how you choose to live in it” mean to you personally? How does it help the characters throughout the movie? How does this idea connect with the INFLUNSR definition of grit (choosing to create a better future by going the extra mile)?
We asked you to read the Smithsonian article The True History of the Aeronauts Who Transformed Our View of the World Above. In 1862, Glaisher and Coxwell ascended to 37,000 feet in a balloon – 8,000 feet higher than the summit of Mount Everest, and, at the time, the highest point in the atmosphere humans had ever reached.
Before the invention of the balloon, the atmosphere was like a blank slate on which fantasies and fears were projected. Philosophers speculated that the skies went on forever, while there were medieval tales of birds that were so large they could whisk human passengers into the clouds.
Let’s discuss this:
Consider the ramifications that early balloon flight has had on weather, weather forecasting and scientific study. If grit is choosing the create a better future by going the extra mile, how does balloon travel illustrate this principle?
We asked you to read the Forbes article High Achievers Have More Grit Than Talent. “Maybe you’re not an especially emotionally intelligent leader. Maybe you lack empathy, Well, you can’t really outsource emotional intelligence, so then, you should work on it. And I think a lot of character and character development is being honest about our weaknesses and our limitations and having the courage and the grit to work on them.” A tennis player can’t outsource their serve, for example. Just ask tennis superstar Serena Williams (who played while pregnant and resumed training after childbirth).
Duckworth says that “purpose is what drives perseverance, what carries you through the tough times.” How does your faith inform your purpose? Consequently, how do purpose fuel perseverance? James 1:2-4 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Let’s discuss how James 1:2-4 examines grit…
We asked you to watch the YouTube video Lessons on Grit From Will Smith. Actor Will Smith says “The majority of people who aren’t getting the places they want or aren’t achieving the things that they want… is strictly based on hustle. It’s strictly based on being out-worked; it’s strictly based on missing crucial opportunities. I say all the time if you stay ready, you ain’t gotta get ready.”
While the mental image that this statement brings to mind may not be a pretty one, the philosophy and lesson behind it is as beautiful a thing as one might hope to find. What is it in your life that you are willing to expend all of your energy, blood, sweat and tears to accomplish? And how does such Grit create influence in your life? Let’s discuss this in detail.
We asked you to watch the YouTube video The Power of Grit. Grit is important because it is a driver of achievement and success, independent of and beyond what talent and intelligence contribute. Without grit, talent may be nothing more than unmet potential. It is only with effort that talent becomes a skill that leads to success.
Let’s make this personal: Do you think grit is an important characteristic to have? In what area(s) of your life do you need more grit?
Disclaimer:
INFLUNSR’s mission is to fuel the next generation of leaders worth following and to help students learn how to think, not what to think. Any articles posted and questions asked are intended for that sole purpose.