“We will either find a way or make one.”
This phrase perfectly encapsulates the mindset that has guided me through every challenge, every obstacle, and every success I’ve achieved. It’s a reminder that when passion meets perseverance, there’s nothing that can stand in your way.
Many people assume that if you excel at something, it must come naturally to you. I’ve often heard this about my own achievements—whether it’s in martial arts, fitness goals, or even in relationships and business. Perception is led by the pictures with trophies, highlight videos, testimonials, and the public atta-boy’s. The truth? I’m not naturally talented at any of these things. If I am getting truly vulnerable with you today, I have felt inadequate in every one of these mentioned areas, many times – some even now (but that’s a conversation for my therapist). What I have never lacked is passion, but passion alone isn’t enough to build lasting success. Passion for my business did not get it through the pandemic. Passion for martial arts did not get me to my black belt or to building a class of my own to teach. Passion alone has not been raising three incredible kids.
So, how have I managed to keep these things going and dare I say, find success? The answer lies in two key principles: grit and perseverance. When I want something, I don’t quit. It’s as simple as that—and as complex as that. My journey, much like yours, has had it’s up and downs. Mine has been riddled with failures, more than I’d like to admit. But with each failure, I’ve faced an important choice: to accept defeat or to push forward, to find a way or make one. Think of a time when you had to make this decision for yourself. Was there a moment in your life when you felt like you got beaten down, you were against all of the odds, life was stopping you from the thing you wanted most? Think about the decision that was in front of you. Likely, you had the choice to step back, take a knee, and bow out. Maybe that decision was what was best for you at the time, or maybe you felt incomplete – that’s for you to reflect on. But, you were given the choice and that determined the trajectory of your path ahead.
The road to success is rarely a straight line. More often than not, it’s a winding path filled with barriers and setbacks. But when something truly matters to you, when it’s deeply connected to your passion, you create a way to move forward. You take those failures, those obstacles, and use them as stepping stones to the next level. Every setback becomes a lesson, every failure a building block for the future.
I wasn’t born a fighter. In fact, as a kid in martial arts, I was always afraid of the fighting. I was scared of getting hurt and scared to hurt others. I would be timid and as I now teach, that hesitation is what puts you at more risk for taking those hard shots. I was passionate and determined to get better though. I wanted so badly to be a winner. Martial arts taught me something invaluable: how to take a hit and keep moving forward. It taught me resilience. It showed me that I’m capable of overcoming challenges, of enduring pain, and of pushing myself to become a better version of myself every day; physically, mentally, and emotionally. This is the mindset I bring to every aspect of my life. I fully anticipate that when I am putting myself in the battles of passion, I am going to take some shots. I will inevitably get knocked down, lose, and feel inadequate. But, I am capable. I have the choice to push through the pain to create something stronger, or to step back and regroup.
I believe that this resilience, this ability to push through challenges and find or create a way forward, isn’t unique to me. It’s something that lies within all of us. We all have the capacity to turn obstacles into opportunities, to transform failure into fuel for future success. We can all learn to take life’s shots, and to carry our passion through the fire with hard work, discipline, and perseverance.
We all have stories of perseverance—moments when we refused to give up, when we pushed through adversity and came out stronger on the other side. I’d love to hear one of your inspiring stories.
How have you found or made your way through life’s challenges? Let’s celebrate the power of grit and perseverance together.
Written by: Kyle Craik
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