Vision. Faith. Grit.

While writing this blog, I was having a tough time coming up with ideas. I wanted to write about perseverance through the lens of encouragement, but I wasn't sure how to start. I was being drawn to the topic as the last few blogs have been tough to write. I feel like I'm hitting an idle spot with this blog and it's been hard to bring myself to invest time in it. I googled motivational quotes and one stuck out like a sore thumb.

"A diamond is a piece of coal that stuck to the job." - Michael Larsen

This quote is pretty well exactly what I needed this morning. I refer to the spot I'm currently in as the "brick wall." Every great thing in life has a brick wall, or a great obstacle, before the reward. It's what keeps average people from achieving great things. If you can't make it past the brick wall, then you won't attain the great reward. So how do we make it past these brick walls? Here's what I came up with:

Vision. Faith. Grit.

Vision allows us to see the way through. It doesn't mean we see the outcome. It doesn't mean we know what's waiting for us on the other side, it just means we see how we are going to get around the obstacle. If the obstacle were a literal brick wall, vision would be the thought in your brain saying, "Let's get a ladder." The ladder isn't the reward, but rather the means in which the reward is accessed or made available.

Faith is rooted belief that there is in fact a reward on the other side of said wall. We can't see the reward, we have no idea what it could be, but we believe whole heartedly that it's there. Faith is what drives us to make the vision a reality. I need a ladder to get over that wall, and I know there is something great on the other side. "I'm getting that ladder."

Grit is what keeps us going against all odds. The ladder is going to be tough climbing. It's a big wall. There might be a storm. There might be bricks falling from the top of the wall. The amount of things that could go wrong are endless, but grit says, "It's going to be worth it."

Vision makes it possible, Faith makes us act, and Grit makes it happen. Without vision, you can't see a way to get over the wall. All you can do is wish you could make it over. Without faith, you have no reason to be on the other side of the wall. So what's the point in going? Without grit, the hardship is going to break you long before you reach the other side. You'll still want the reward, but not for what it costs.

Whatever you're trying to accomplish right now and whatever obstacles are in your way, know that there is a way. Form a vision, have faith, and move with grit. You've got this. Don't quit now.