After successful real estate businesses in Lebanon and Iran, Karim Jaude arrived in Los Angeles in 1979 with only $17 in his pocket and not a friend within a thousand miles. By merely being in the wrong place at the wrong time, he lost almost everything … twice.  He was kidnapped, tortured and forced to flee the country, but, in an extraordinary display of resilience, he got up and thrived again and again. Jaude’s determination started early in life and pushed him through the rough spots, of which there were many. He recounts his extraordinary journey in this podcast. http://www.spartanuppodcast.com/051

Lessons:

    1.There will never be justice in the world but we have the ability to reduce people’s suffering and not add to it.
    2.Adversity teaches you to float over the small hassles in life.
    3.What happens to you doesn’t matter as much as how you react to it.
    4. Help one person every day.

Austin Malleolo is a formidable CrossFit competitor and level three trainer, but he says there was not much indication earlier in his life that he would achieve what he has. He was a troubled youth who was making many bad decisions that ultimately lead him to his path and passion. Instead of allowing him to continue down a trajectory that was aimed straight at a life of dead ends and possible prison, his father wisely opted to derail that destiny. In this podcast Mallelollo describes how this change in his frame of reference got him back on the track to a fulfilling life.

Lessons:

    1.    Physical disadvantages just mean that you have to work harder than everyone else to succeed.
    2.    Everybody needs someone in their corner.
    3.    Practice with someone better than you.
    4.    You control your own destiny.

Joe navigated his way through tough neighborhoods, a broken family life, organized crime, a near hopeless bid to enter the Ivy League, Wall Street, a human Iditarod, and daunting business prospects in backwater Vermont until he found his true calling.  As usual, Joe insists he isn’t special and outlines how you can do it too.  
 
Lessons:

1.  Commit: Say what you’re going to do and do what you say.
2. Go above and beyond.
3. Never complain. Practice gratitude.
4. Choose your path and stick to it.
5. Persevere and persist.
6. Practice upside/downside decision making.
7. Change your frame of reference and develop grit.
8. Do something you’re passionate about and it will no longer be work.
9. Road blocks are obstacles to overcome.

According to the Entrepreneur, Investor & Best-Selling Author Gary Vaynerchuk, he was bad at many things. But what he was good at was crucial for his successes: he knew himself very well and acted on his strengths, intensely. He was equally adept at reading others and is living proof that EQ (Emotional Intelligence) is as important as IQ in the world of business. His grit was shaped by a tough Eastern European upbringing tempered by compassion. In this episode,  Vaynerchuck explains what obstacle resistance means from a humanistic perspective.
http://www.spartanuppodcast.com/048

Lessons:
1. If you know who you are, by nature you’ll bet on your strengths, and if you bet on your strengths, you’ll win.
2. You must be willing to invest several years ahead of time to realize a payoff.
3. Almost anything you do is good as long as you’re “all in.”

How did Kris Halenga, diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer at 23, with no business experience, manage to become such an admired and inspirational charity CEO?  Her version of grit was a mix of passion and taking small steps that eventually added up to something spectacular. She was kind to herself along the way and is now extending that kindness to others by raising breast cancer awareness. Just as compelling is the story of how she was able to take a potentially devastating condition and use it as a foundation to build a life she loves.

Lessons:
1. Passion and a willingness to learn along the way can stand in for business skills in entrepreneurship.
2. Don't let a challenging situation consume you but change it into something good that can help others.
3. Achieving small things each day can make you happy and will soon build into a big thing.