In September, I attended a talk by the incredible Kat Cole, COO & president of Focus Brands.
Kat shared so many amazing, inspiring, and motivating ideas. She spoke about resilience, overcoming hardship, work ethic, grit, courage, and (my favorite): roots.
That is where she really spoke to me.
I sat in the fifth row, one of thousands in attendance, when Kat shared something her mom taught her: "Don't forget where you came from, but don't you dare ever let it solely define you!" WOW --- powerful and so true. It was as if she was talking directly to me.
Kat explained: “Don’t let your roots be your anchor. Don’t let your history be the thing that you feel like you’re defined by. Let your roots be your engine.”
THIS! This is what I feel to my core and always share with others. I was born and raised in Butte, Montana --- or as us Butticians like to call it --- Butte, America. Butte is known for grit, hard work, commitment, work ethic, and so much more. I am ever thankful and very proud of where I came from; it is the anchor that taught me about work and never giving up.
Unfortunately, it was an environment that held a lot of people from their dreams. When I looked at colleges, I was told: you stay local, no need to spend all the money elsewhere for a fancy degree. When I started my real estate career, I was told: you’re lucky you’re not selling in Butte; you can make some money. Fast-forward to starting my second company --- I was told: you can’t be successful, you don’t know enough people. You’ve only lived in Montana; your network is too small and your reach too short. The list goes on and on.
But I KNEW that if I tapped into the grit, work ethic, commitment, and pride that my roots taught me and used that as my engine for my business, I would have no choice but to be successful. Those roots fueled me to push, fail, learn, lead, and continue. I refused to be defined by geography, education, or who I knew.
The reason I am sharing this is simple: you can too. Tap into your roots and make your dreams a reality. The winners are full of grit: nothing fancy, just grit, work ethic, commitment, and the willingness to push themselves to be better and to serve people.
Can you imagine if Kat sat back? I can't imagine if you would either.
If you don't know Kat, you must! Do yourself a favor and listen to her podcast here: https://now.leadercast.com/blog_posts/podcast-kat-cole-on-giving-yourself-permission-to-change--