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Gritty Determination: Fighting Against the Tug of Doubt to Discover New Frontiers

By Ken Gentner

Alumnus of the Executive and Workplace Coaching Program

Doubt is powerful. Doubt is a beast.

Of all the powers in this world, doubt is among the most destructive forces known to mankind. Doubt betrays love and divides nations. Doubt brings war and suffering. Doubt undermines logic and rational thinking, but it also does something more dangerous: Doubt undermines faith.

But this is not about doubt. Doubt is a beast.

I remember the day I told my family I planned to serve my country in the United States Air Force. Instead of the warm, encouraging response I was expecting, I received something different: I received doubt.

“You are not made for the military,” one family member said.

“You are too sensitive – too timid,” added another.

“Remember when you got homesick at scout camp? This is worse,” a third chirped.

My heart sank. My family – the people I was closest to and knew my entire life – tried their best to discourage me, and they did it the only way they knew how: They cast doubt. They loved me, but they did not believe I was suited for military service. For them, doubt was a way of life.

But this is not about doubt. Doubt is a beast.

I made my mind up and signed on the dotted line, swearing my allegiance to God and country that I would protect and defend America against all enemies both foreign and domestic. I left for basic military training in the weeks after I graduated high school. I remember long days under the Texas sun, the kitchen duty, long classes, grueling physical fitness training, and the shouting drill sergeants. In the small hours of the night, when I should have been sleeping, my heart cried out for the loved ones I left behind. It was those lonely moments where my mind recalled the words of my family:

You are not made for this.

Each day I was pushed beyond my limits and tested like never before. Somehow, I rose above my fears and survived the experience. I came out stronger and more disciplined. As the years wore on, I grew within my role as an airman and military police officer, eventually becoming a sergeant, then later an instructor of both law enforcement and combat tactics. In my personal life, I became a husband and a father. None of these roles were easy. Along the way, I encountered those old feelings of doubt.

But this is not about doubt. Doubt is a beast.

Late one night during the Iraq War, I found myself atop the ruins of a pyramid overlooking the ancient city of Ur. Bathed in the light of a full moon, I fixed my gaze upon the birthplace of Abraham. Though I was in a warzone, I slept in the silent sands of the Old Testament. I reflected upon my life and how I arrived at that moment. How did a fragile, timid child from an Indiana suburb scale a 4,000-year-old structure on the other side of the planet? How did a frightened child grow to become a father, husband, or sergeant of the United States Air Force? The truth was I managed to find something – some element within myself – that guided me toward success. Every time I felt those pains of doubt, something else was there. Whenever crippling fear invaded my mind, the kind of fear that made me question my worth, a dagger of light would cut through the darkness to pierce the terror gripping my heart. Whenever I was at my lowest and ready to quit, something pulled me from the abyss. My faith and courage had provoked something within me, and that thing was hungry – like a predator seeking prey.

That predator was grit.

The frigid night winds howled atop the ancient Mesopotamian pyramid. With the chill of night above and the horrors of war below, I drew strength from the quiet power within me. Through setbacks and failures, grit was there. The grit, the strength of character forged through pain of experience, was mine to claim. I felt triumph in my revelation. I had grit.

Grit exists in all of us. We show grit in our daily lives through our work and how we care for our families. Grit is what we draw upon when we bring our talents to bear, but it also explodes from our hearts when we are at our lowest moments. Grit comes from the faith you carry within you.

One of the greatest lessons I learned in life was from my time in a military leadership academy:

Iron is a natural element that crumbles to dust over time, but iron that is beaten and thrown in fire becomes steel. Steel is made stronger because of enduring such things. Steel is iron with grit.

This story is about grit. Grit is a predator.

Ken Gentner is an almnus of the Harding University Executive and Workplace Coaching Program. He is the CEO of Gentner Leadership Consulting and the author of KNOW MORALE: What it is, How to Get it, and What it Does to the Workforce.

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Gritty Determination: Fighting Against the Tug of Doubt to Discover New Frontiers

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