The Power of Grit & Sticking to Plan A

The secret sauce behind the world’s greatest strategists, leaders, entrepreneurs, businessmen, and women is consistently taught — but very few actually listen.

I am big on pattern recognition. I believe the ability to identify patterns and trends is essential to understanding the big picture. When you notice that certain behaviors consistently lead to a specific result, you become far more likely to imitate, refine, and eventually master them.

From Kobe Bryant and Eddie Murphy to Steve Jobs, Serena Williams, and Oprah Winfrey, a consistent theme emerges across all their stories:

The power of grit and sticking to Plan A.

Grit does not mean overworking yourself.
Grit does not mean self-punishment.

Grit does not mean waking up at 4:00 AM simply because someone on the internet told you to.

Grit means showing up for yourself — repeatedly, intentionally, and especially on the days you don’t feel like it.

Grit is the disciplined commitment to see things through, to stay long enough to experience the fruits of your labor.

We often hear people preach the importance of having a Plan B, C, or D “in case Plan A doesn’t work.” But beneath that logic is an unspoken message:

If Plan A feels too far-fetched, give up and choose a new destination.

But what if the issue isn’t the destination? Only the route?

Imagine you’re driving and you hit a “Road Closed” sign on the way to where you’re going.
Do you abandon the trip? Or do you simply take another route?

Maybe there’s a detour you didn’t see before.
Maybe the mountain path looks intimidating — but it still leads to the same place.
Maybe the journey gets harder, but the destination remains worth it.

Grit is choosing the mountain path.

Grit is putting one foot in front of the other in times of uncertainty.
Grit is holding onto your North Star even when the terrain changes.
Grit is the willingness to stay with Plan A while adjusting your strategy.

So what’s the payoff?

How about becoming one of the greatest athletes, innovators, artists, or communicators of our time?
How about becoming one of the most trusted thinkers in your department, or one of the most reliable leaders in your organization?
How about having the deep, private satisfaction of knowing that you proved yourself right?

Grit doesn’t just get you there. It transforms you along the way.

Turning Complexity into Clarity

In today’s world, we are surrounded by countless resources on leadership. Books, frameworks, and philosophies document what worked in the past and what we can learn from it. But some of the most powerful lessons come from places we least expect.

Let’s focus on Trajan.

Trajan ruled during one of the most complex periods in Roman history. The empire was massive, borders were unstable, supply chains stretched across continents, the military was overextended, political factions were competing, and infrastructure was aging. Yet under his leadership, Rome entered what many consider its golden age. The period was defined by clear strategy, strong systems, and steady growth.

Trajan is remembered not because he governed during a simple time, but because he created clarity inside overwhelming complexity. If he could transform a vast, fragmented empire into a coherent and unified system, imagine what we can do in modern organizations by applying the same principles.

So how do we translate Trajan’s blueprint into corporate settings today?

1. Build Systems That Win on Their Own

Trajan did not depend on flashes of brilliance or heroic moments. He built systems. He established standardized formations, consistent training, and repeatable tactics. He simplified the most complex environment imaginable: war.

Organizations should aim for the same level of structure. Clear workflows, documented processes, and consistent standards reduce confusion and protect institutional knowledge. Systems that work should not live in a single person’s mind. They should belong to the organization.

2. Make Success Repeatable

Operational clarity comes from repeatability. Trajan understood that success is not an accident. It is a pattern.

In modern workplaces, we create repeatable success by defining, documenting, and refining processes. When something works, we should not rely on memory or improvisation. We should build it into the system so teams do not have to guess.

Repeatable processes reduce friction, eliminate ambiguity, and accelerate performance.

3. Leadership Is Clarity

Before Trajan, governance across the empire was inconsistent and disorganized. He addressed this by creating simple reporting structures, clear expectations, and transparent communication.

The lesson is timeless. If people do not know what you expect, they cannot deliver it.

Teams perform best when direction is simple, consistent, and aligned. Leadership is not about controlling complexity. It is about making clarity possible.

4. Invest in Infrastructure

Trajan invested heavily in the structures that supported daily life. Roads, aqueducts, marketplaces, and administrative centers such as Trajan’s Forum enabled people to live and work with stability. He understood that people do better work when their environment supports them, not overwhelms them.

In modern organizations, “infrastructure” takes many forms.

We invest in:

• functional area champions
• supportive technology
• aligned workflows
• clear communication channels
• cross-functional collaboration
• executive champions who remove barriers

People thrive when the environment is designed for them, not against them.

Conclusion

Through these models, we can turn complexity into clarity. The most encouraging part is that the blueprint already exists.

This strategy has guided leaders for centuries. Our responsibility is not to reinvent it, but to interpret it for a new world. The principles remain the same. Only the context changes.

Not Work-Life Balance. Not Work-Life Harmony. What about Work-Life Equanimity?

Let’s think about the word balance.
At its core, balance implies even distribution. It suggests that we can give equal time, attention, and energy to every facet of our lives. But in reality, for most people, that model simply is not sustainable.

Now, let’s think about the word harmony.
Harmony implies that different elements work together. Instead of dividing life into equal slices of a pie, harmony allows us to cut it into uneven pieces while still creating a sense of wholeness.

Many organizations have already shifted from the outdated idea of “work-life balance” to the more flexible concept of “work-life harmony.” But these terms do not need to exist separately. They can be combined into something more meaningful and more realistic.

If we zoom out, both phrases aim to reduce stress, support performance, and help us show up as our best selves. But what if we went a step further?

What if balance and harmony became one idea?

Let’s call it Work–Life Equanimity.

Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor, understood this well. Across his writings, we see the belief that dynamic balance comes from inner harmony. It is an internal steadiness that allows us to remain clear and composed even when the world becomes chaotic.

So what does this look like in practice?

Think about the activities that elevate your dopamine levels and help you reset. Painting, exercising, cooking, music, and reading. When you step away from your day-to-day responsibilities, are you choosing actions that genuinely clear your mind, even if only for 30 minutes?

A person’s perception of a stressor is often more important than the stressor itself. Perception is what triggers cortisol spikes. By shifting your mindset, even slightly, you reshape your reality.

So what is equanimity?

Equanimity is the ability to remain calm, clear, and grounded, especially in difficult situations. It is the steady presence that gives us resilience. It is the mental posture that keeps us moving forward.

When we approach both work and life with equanimity, the symbol is no longer a circle with competing segments. It becomes a line. It is not a perfectly straight line, but it is a continuous one.

That line represents emotional resilience, reduced stress, improved performance, and ultimately a deeper sense of satisfaction.

Work–Life Equanimity shifts the focus from the external to the internal. We cannot control external factors all of the time, but we can control our mindset, our responses, and the way we choose to interpret what is happening around us. When we begin there, everything else changes. Starting with the internal creates a significant shift in how we approach challenges, how we lead, and how we move through life.

A Clear Review

Work–Life Balance:
Equal distribution of time and energy between work and personal life.
In practice: trying to give everything equal attention, which often and unintentionally leads to guilt or burnout.

Work–Life Harmony:
Integrating work and personal life in a way that feels cohesive and supportive, even when the time distribution is uneven.
In practice: adjusting the “pie slices” of your life so everything fits together, even if uneven.

Work–Life Equanimity:
Cultivating inner calm, clarity, and steadiness so you can navigate work and life with resilience, regardless of circumstances.
In practice: remaining centered, composed, and clear, even when life is uneven or work is demanding. The line continues forward, not perfectly straight, but steady.