Grow My GRIT Blog

The term guru can mean very different things to people based on their culture, faith or personal history. In spite of the variety, I’ve noticed some common threads throughout the definitions. According to Webster’s Dictionary, a guru is a Sanskrit term for a “teacher, guide, expert or master” of certain knowledge or field.[1] In pan-Indian traditions, guru is more than a teacher, in Sanskrit guru means the one who dispels the darkness and takes towards light, traditionally a reverential figure to the student, with the guru serving as a “counselor, who helps mold values, shares experiential knowledge as much as literal knowledge, an exemplar in life, an inspirational source who helps in the spiritual evolution of a student”.[2] A guru is also one’s spiritual guide, who helps one to discover the same potentialities that the guru has already realized.[3].  The definitions which resonate most with me are the ones recognizing that a guru’s primary responsibility is drawing out wisdom and insights from within an individual as opposed to imparting … Read more

For as long as I can remember, friends old and new have been asking me this question! I’m honoured each and every time someone asks it while, at the same time, I giggle a little on the inside at the thought of how a “mini me” would actually live and survive inside a pocket all day long 🤔. So, what I really think might be happening here is that my friends would like a pocket-sized souvenir of our conversation or interaction. It would need to be something quick, simple and tangible that reminds them how they feel about themselves and their awesomeness when they need it the most.   With this in mind, and with some serious inspiration from Gary Vaynerchuk’s throwback to the popularity of trading sports cards, I came up with an idea for GRIT trading cards! So now anyone can have a portable summary of their marvelousness handy … Read more

I realized this morning that I come from a family of entrepreneurs; I’m actually the fifth Schepmyer to start a business!  My Mom and my Dad (whom I call Big Daddy for future reference) started Schepmyer’s Craft Company almost 40 years ago. Anthony, my older brother, is the CEO at Vaughan Industrial Supply and Andrew, my younger brother, incorporated his Neurology practice a few years ago. We’ve all faced a unique set of obstacles along our journeys, but we’ve all called on our GRIT to realize our business dreams!  I recall watching Big Daddy and Mom, who is truly the mother-of-all crafters in my books, as they worked so hard to make their small company successful. My Mom does the manual labour of creating art from almost anything! Big Daddy helps with the bigger projects (e.g., driving Mom to shows, framing pictures when she used to make paper tole and helping set-up for … Read more

When it comes to making a list of literature that has helped me grow my GRIT recently, I think two fun names are “GRIT Lit” or “GRIT-erature”. I told you I LOVE playing with words!!! I usually use the first title because the second one is surprisingly hard to say. Here is a list of my top six books listed in alphabetical order because I really can’t rank them. It would be like comparing six different types of fruits (not just apples and oranges). I’ll feature each one in an upcoming Blog, but I really wanted to share the titles with you! Be More Pirate by Sam Conniff Allende Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth Level Up Your Life by Steve Kamb The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday You Are a Badass at Making Money: Mastering the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero There are … Read more

An important prequel to the origin story is the answer to the question, “How does haze define her GRIT?” So I thought it would be helpful for me to describe my own GRIT as an example and as a way for you to get to know more about me! I love to play with words, so I tried to find G, R, I and T words that reflect my default setting when things get tough for me. I want to acknowledge that everyone’s version of tough is different; I understand that the challenges people face will vary in complexity and intensity. I’d say that most of the obstacles and challenges I have faced so far are setbacks, detours or full-out roadblocks that I have chosen to navigate. Using the example of losing what I thought was the best job ever this past June, here’s how I define my GRIT. My G is for GRATITUDE because my … Read more