Chris Gragtmans
Grit & resilience
Agenda
• Personal history
• How do you define Grit and Resilience?
• G&R in competition
• G&R in exploration
• Nature vs. Nurture
• Business + real life application
My history
•Kayaking since 11
•3x Canadian Freestyle Team Member, 8x Green Race top 4
•Nontraditional route… correspondence for last year of high school
•Paddled in Austria, France, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Uganda, USA, Canada
•UNCA
•Profession: Dagger Kayaks Pro Team Manager, Athlete, Business Owner, Writer
Red bull divide and conquer
Red bull divide and conquer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP9kMOHbusQ
Grit and Resilience
How do you define it?
“Everybody’s got a plan until you get hit.” -Mike Tyson
Grit and resilience
• Ability to push forward when the odds are stacked against you
• Ability to bounce back from setbacks without breaking confidence
• Ability to work your butt off for as long as it takes to achieve your goals
focus/fitness continuum
Steve fisher
• Self-made
• He had to overcome- logistically, mentally and physically
• Personal skin in the game
http://vimeo.com/47875472
Nature vs. nurture?
•Are we born with these abilities, or do we learn them?
“Genius is 1% talent, and 99% hard work.” -Albert Einstein
What does it look like in business?
•1918- fired from Kansas City Star Newspaper for “lack of creativity”
•1921- formed an animation company, raised equivalent of $181,000
•1923- NY distributor went under, forced to shut down animation company
•1924- Ate dog food, spent last few dollars on a ticket to Hollywood
•1926- Created cartoon character, partnered with Universal Studios
•1927- Universal secretly patented the character, hired his artists, cut him off
What does It look like in business?• 1934-1944- Mickey Mouse, Three Little Pigs, Pinnocchio, Bambi, Fantasia rejected
• 1944- Tried to adapt Pamela Travers’ book, Mary Poppins, into a film. Rejected.
• 1944-1960- Visited Travers repeatedly in the UK, she was finally overcome by his charm
Walt Disney
• 22 Academy Awards, 59 Nominations
• 7 Emmys
• Walt Disney Company - $40,000,000,000 revenue
• 1996- Walt Disney Company purchases ABC, the owner of the Kansas City Star
Real world application
• Competition is awesome
• 100% Commitment (Confidence)
• Expect the Unexpected
• Work hard, and DO NOT QUIT
Questions?
• Thanks for having me!
“If you strive to do anything remotely interesting, just expect a small percentage of the population to always find a way to take it personally. F*ck ‘em. There are no statues erected to critics.”
-Timothy Ferriss
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66molzUEkWI