The term “pioneering spirit” is defined by the Collins Dictionary simply as “a willingness to endure hardship in order to explore new places or try out new things.”

That fits the image we have of the pioneers who set out in search of religious freedom or other opportunities and ended up in Utah. There was certainly a willingness to endure hardship, as is well-documented in so many of the stories that have been passed down to us.

But as I’ve been thinking about it, I see it as more than that.

In recent months, I’ve had opportunities to visit locations where individuals did things that embody my view of the pioneer spirit, including Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; Seneca Falls, N.Y.; and Kitty Hawk, N.C.

I don’t think it’s difficult to see a pioneering spirit in the delegates that gathered in Philadelphia both in the 1770s and again in the 1780s.

In their duties as representatives of their colonies (and later their states), they gathered to explore some radical concepts at the time, first the unfathomable idea of declaring independence from a powerful empire and then to build a government based on the astounding notion of self-government by the people.

While there were idealistic writings and philosophies as well as a few small-scale examples to draw from, for the most part they were forging into uncharted political territory and faced enormous challenges to make them work.

They certainly were far from perfect, but the notions of independence and self-government have become the norm throughout much of the world. That pioneering spirit they exemplified indeed set a standard that has fundamentally changed how government works.

At locations in both Seneca Falls at the Women’s Rights National Historical Park and in Washington, D.C., at the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument, I learned much more about the women’s suffrage movement.

From the early calls for women to have a voice in government in the 1700s to the first convention in Seneca Falls in the 1840s, and then to the eventual final push in the early 1900s and the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920, many individuals highlighted their own pioneering spirit with their work to ensure women had the right to vote through the nation.

They faced their own huge obstacles in their efforts (and not just from men). It was a long process that went through many ups and downs before the suffrage movement achieved its goal nationally.

I also think of the advancements at Kitty Hawk, where Wilbur and Orville Wright sought to put all the pieces together to have mechanical flight.

They were hundreds of miles from their home in Ohio, chasing a dream that had so many technical issues to overcome. They required the help and support of others who were also interested in manned flight as well as the Kitty Hawk community.

But one by one the Wright brothers found the answers they needed until on Dec. 17, 1903, they got their craft into the air. Subsequent flights went further and further, and everything changed as humans could begin to master the skies.

These are just a few examples of the pioneering spirit that I’ve had the privilege of learning so much more about recently. There could be thousands of others, including the ones that come to your mind as you read this.

I see one characteristic that stands out to me when I think of pioneers, one that makes a real difference.

Perseverance.

The delegates that we often refer to as the Founding Fathers didn’t give up during the long Revolutionary War (which lasted in some form for nearly a decade) and the ongoing challenges of establishing the foundation of a serviceable government.

The women seeking the right to vote didn’t give up as they pursued their objectives throughout the decades, eventually swaying public opinion and using modern lobbying techniques to effect change.

The Wright brothers didn’t give up as they had to question scientific assumptions of the time, putting together so many significant advancement that the result was considered decades ahead of its time as they found a way to fly.

And the pioneers that we recognize on Pioneer Day never gave up, despite persecutions, hardships, illness, environmental challenges and other conflicts. They kept going to provide those of us who live in Utah and the surrounding areas the means to build our communities.

It’s that trait that I hope we truly embrace as we develop our own pioneering spirit.

Because each of us has pioneering opportunities in our homes, careers, neighborhoods and spheres of influence. They might be things that end up getting national attention or acclaim, like those examples that I listed before.

And challenges will come, just as they have for those who have come before. Only in facing them, learning from them and overcoming them will progress and growth come.

But I hope it is worth it for us.

I hope we don’t give up either, Keep trying. Keep fighting. Keep learning. Keep growing.

And who knows what your own personal pioneering spirit will accomplish?

Jared Lloyd is the managing editor of the Daily Herald and can be reached at jlloyd@heraldextra.com.