Earlier than he ever reported from a struggle zone or stood on the White Home garden, Leland Vittert was a silent child behind the classroom—bullied, neglected and misunderstood. Identified with autism and unable to talk till he was three, Vittert didn’t seem to be the type of child who’d develop as much as grill world leaders on reside TV. However he had one factor nobody may see: grit—and a father who refused to let the world outline his son’s limits.
Right now, Vittert is among the most composed and commanding voices in journalism. And his path to the anchor chair wasn’t constructed on chasing approval, however on staying true to himself. “By no means change your self to slot in,” he says. “Not in any method, form or type.” That arduous-won self-assurance didn’t come simple. It was earned day-to-day, rep by rep, lesson by lesson—beginning with 200 pushups every morning and breakfast talks with a dad who believed his son may do something.
“You be taught that you just’re stronger than you suppose you’re,” Vittert stated on a current episode of the Company Competitor Podcast. “And in case you go into the psychology of survival…you possibly can’t wallow within the problem.”
His father lived that perception. An entrepreneur, he bought his firm so he might be ready on the finish of the driveway each afternoon when faculty let loose. Collectively, they constructed a future few others may think about—anchored within the values of persistence, dedication and self-respect.
Day in and time out, they ready. Vittert did these 200 pushups to maintain the bullies at bay. He studied politics, practiced studying facial cues, and sharpened his understanding of the world. However greater than something, father and son constructed a bond rooted in belief and a shared imaginative and prescient for what was attainable. They by no means missed breakfast collectively.
“It’s not how a lot cash you could have, it’s not what accolades you get,” says Vittert. “It’s your character that may matter most.”
Vittert, with whom I co-authored the brand new memoir Born Fortunate, shares extra classes on the podcast, together with:
• Don’t stop. It doesn’t matter what you’re dealing with, Vittert says, persistence is energy. “Issues can change,” he stated. “The momentum can change… in case you hold simply working extremely arduous, it’s very arduous to beat a person who received’t stop.”
• Set long-term objectives. Earlier than he was a information anchor, Vittert was a teenage pilot. That didn’t occur accidentally. “Don’t set a objective for what you need to do subsequent,” he stated. “Set a objective for what you need to do in 5 or 10 years. My objective wasn’t to start out flying classes. My objective was to be the youngest to fly throughout the nation.”
• Be trustworthy. Vittert remembers making an attempt to slot in with the “cool” youngsters, solely to observe it backfire. That lesson caught. “Individuals can inform while you’re not being trustworthy,” he says. Life isn’t about pleasing others. It’s about understanding who you’re—and dwelling in a method that might make your loved ones proud.
