It’s easy to be inspired by Turia Pitt.
At only 30 years old, the ultramarathon runner turned author and motivational speaker has overcome obstacles too tall to comprehend. Those achievements, she says, are the outcomes of hard work and unrivalled determination.
And that grit – that edge – is something she says juggling multiple jobs as a teenager helped her foster.
In a stirring Instagram post, Turia gave us a glimpse into the adolescence that shaped her:
“I’ve never been the smartest, the fittest or the most talented. But I’ve always prided myself on being the hardest-worker,” she says along with a photo of herself at 14 making coffee.
“At high school I had heaps of weekend jobs,” she continued.
“I’d work at Civic Video on Friday night. Then on Saturday morning, I’d ride my bike to the local fish and chip shop, work all day, then ride my bike back to Civic Video, change my uniform in the utility closet and work Saturday night.
“My Dad would pick me up from work and I’d put my bike in the back of the station wagon. I got so annoyed by the kids at school who didn’t have to work and whose parents bought them the latest shoes or wetsuit.
“Working taught me to be self-sufficient, and taught me that if I wanted something, all I needed to do was put in the work and effort, and I’d see results.”
Describing this as something that she plans on passing to her five-month-old son, Hakavai, it follows her other brilliant pieces of parenting advice, including the two rules she learned from her father.
“Number one – no whingeing, number two – no bloody whingeing,” Turia told Rendezview in December last year.
“It’s good to remind yourself that you’re always in control of how you see the world,” she said.
The universe deserves some thanks for giving us Turia Pitt, right?