Grit = Success in the Moments that Matter Most!

Diving off the pier into the cold water at sunrise, we are truly alive. Good mornings and good lucks exchanged, bikes racked, equipment triple checked. A brief calm develops in stark contrast to the effort ahead. Treading water waiting for the horn - We're off.

Board is full at 6AM. Sigh of relief from the overnight doc. Careless bartending puts my kids through college, but chest pain, stroke, pneumonia, 
cancer, and trauma surround me too. 

"Hey Doc! Fat tongue and difficulty breathing just walked in...". Game on.

Coach Wooden used the word Intentness to describe courage and resolve. Today we refer to this strength of character as Grit. In both sport and medicine, success always requires grit. There are no shortcuts. Show up prepared or stay in bed. Talented athletes and the topic experts make it look easy, only by completing ten thousand hours of deliberate practice before the big day.

Cold water creates sensory overload - total immersion achieved instantly. Quick hands leading a streamlined stroke. Site the line every 5 - 10, always watching for bubbles from feet ahead. Block legs with lead hand to save a kick in the goggles. 

Heart is pounding as we run up the stairs to transition.

Walking quickly towards the room, we know the drill. I check the ABCS's, while the team gets the intubation and cric kits ready, the clerk calls anesthesia for fiberoptics. I prep the neck, as a nurse draws up the sedative and the paralytic. History of angioedema, busy primary doctor but him on the wrong drug, 
soft palate of obstructive sleep apnea further blocking the view.

 I tell the patient and his wife that we will get through this together.

During my last short course triathlon of the season and the shift that followed, I was once again struck be the similarities between what we do in the clinical and athletic arenas. Both require considerable planning, daily overload, and constant analysis. Both require individual performance as well as a cohesive team. Both bring a sense of accomplishment at the end of an event or shift.

Although we raced at the ITU world championships, we were all in the open age group event, racing together, but only against ourselves. I will never podium in a triathlon that size. But I will continually strive to improve in each discipline - my definition of success. Likewise, we work together to help our patients at their most vulnerable moments, well before the patient walks out the door, and says thank you to the last friendly face. Our success often is known only to our clinical team.

Share you journey to success with your team. Whether sports, family, music, whatever, let your team see your courage and resolve. Your trainees will learn from both your good and bad days, as well as their own, helping us all to develop the grit needed to win our race.

Make it a great week!