Grit and determination - the stuff that champions and successful persons (and even heroes) are made of

It is about getting better...

Many authors and successful person summarize this in two words:   GRIT and DETERMINATION

Psychologists mention this, movie like the "The Chairman" a movie about Ray Kroc mention this.

The late Calvin Coolidge whose famous quote on determination has made it to the boardrooms and MBA classroom must be smiling in his grace.

This is the same stuff why we admire why we sympathize and empathize with heroes and heroines who overcome, solve challenges after one another in their adventures and stories.  How we wish we have the same strength and determination to overcome the same daily

That is why this post believe that teaching MBA alone with the technical stuff cant alone produce successful entrepreneurs and business leaders    They have to be build up grit and determination over time.  And harsh challenging business problems alone can teach them that.

How much have I improved in 2013 ( Personal Mastery)

It is about getting better...

January 1, 2014

New year is now 18 hours old.  How fast time flies.  366 days ago we had the same event.  I will soon be 63.

What did I improve last year:

1.  Health and fitness:

     1. I biked many long rides last year.  In January we biked to Baguio from Manila.  This was my 3rd ascent to Baguio, 2x from Manila.  I crashed during my first ride, not in Baguio but all ready in Manila - at Shangrila.  My bike's narrow tires got caught up in grating in the vicinity of Starbucks, I lost consciousness when I feel, and I had an operation to repair my broken nose bridge.  I biked with Recyclists to Tagaytay City (about l60 km) to Ternate  (196 km) and Lemery, Batangas.  These were long and hard rides.  That meant I had endurance.

     2.  I could ride with the peloton riding at 35 km plus.  I developed speed.   I could also ride about 50 km descending.

    3.  Strength.  Now I could ride on heavier gears even climbing hills.  It is easier for me now to use 50 x 15 gears going up at 20+  kph.  Formerly, I needed 34 or 39 x 25 gears to ride up

Challenge for Power of Positive Thinking with Potato Penetration Challenge

                                        "I did it slowly"

January 12, 2013.  Ateneo Professional Schools.   MBAH Entrep Class.  At around 11 am, we had this challenge:   penetrating the potato with ordinary soft softdrinks straw through and through.

It is supposed to be an exercise on the power of positive thinking:   mind over matter, what the mind can conceive, the body can achieve, and an illustration of :

strategy:       key activities and key resources to reach a desired goal

entrepreneurship:    making a dream a reality

                               creating something from nothing (no resources at all)

Machiavelli:    the end justifies the means.

Some interesting languages were used to describe the strategy to penetrate the potato through and through:

"Pinuwersa"    -  Ramin Blanco

"Dahan dahan"   Dr Ching

"Chose the soft spot"

"Binaligtad"

"I screwed it"

There are many ways to meet the challenge.  There are many ways to achieve a dream.  And making the choice is very enterprising;  and very strategic.

This  example/challenge is a powerful way of explaining this complex subject.