Keep Moving Forward.
Alright, I am going to start by saying this—I am NOT the most comfortable with writing blogs. The truth of the matter is that, at times, I myself am skeptical of some of the blog posts that I read. Layer on top of that the assumption that outside my mom, no one might care much about what I have to say, you can see how cozying up to the keyboard can be quite daunting.
With that said, I must give myself a bit of credit. I do have a fair amount of experience that may be helpful to pass along. And, every once in a while, I have some good conversations that spark an idea for a post. In addition to being quite cathartic, whenever my wife asks me to do something around the house (like right now), I can tell her that I am doing “work” and “will get to it later.” All in all, it works out in my favor.
About 10 years ago, I got a really cool gift from my sales team. It was a framed picture of Abraham Lincoln, with the quote “Good things come to those who hustle” with every member of my sales team signing it. To this day, it carries great sentimental value and has been hanging in my office ever since. For a little background, I found myself reiterating this quote to the team as a reminder of the importance of hustle. In good times…anyone can hit their targets or get that next sale… really, it's low-hanging fruit. But what happens when times get tough? What do you do when the rug gets taken out from under you and you have to step up to the plate? When the doors slam in your face and a profound sense of helplessness is the only feeling that you can process? We each, in our own way, will eventually have to deal with this, but the real test is what you choose to do next.
Like everyone, I have been hit with that dilemma! Being the guy who always preached hustle and perseverance, it was interesting to see what I would do myself. After all, it is easier to preach than to practice. In hindsight, I didn’t really give much thought to how I would react. My innate personality is to go at 100 miles an hour, so there was little doubt that I would hit the ground running…actually sprinting…but upon reflection, when I stepped back and thought about it, I have to admit…damn that was hard. Now, by no means am I close to being done…as far as I’m concerned, I’m just getting started. That said, like I said…DAMN! Was it hard. There is an old saying that goes “Anything easy ain't worth doing.” That might sound nice to say or look good on a t-shirt, but, from experience, I don’t recommend always taking the hard route. Now, if you happen to find yourself on that road (and really the point of this blog) I can offer you some advice…
For starters, DON’T doubt yourself. You know who you are and just as importantly, those closest to you know what you're about as well. There are always going to be people in the room who are going to have their opinions, but in my experience, pay those people no mind. These are the same people that can’t even carry your gym bag, let alone grind out the work that needs to get done. Inevitably, these are the same people that 10 years from now will be doing the exact same shit they were doing 10 years ago, best to keep them in the rearview. The greatest takeaway I’ve learned and the one thing I would share with anyone working through a tough time is simply this…don’t beat yourself up for having a bad day! Success, redemption, growth or whatever you want to call it is NOT a straight line. Trust me… there are days you don’t want to get out of bed and want to sleep off the next 20 years; the trick is not to live in that space. What you might feel as just or fair may have very little bearing on things. You can spend a lot of time focusing on how things should be, but the focus should be on what you must do in order to get things the way you want them. Even if it's 3 steps forward and 2 steps back, remember, you are making progress. What you are going through is your “go through”; by that I mean your journey is unique to you, so don’t feel that you have to “act” a certain way. Until you are in that spot, no one really knows how they will react, just know that there will definitely be a reaction. From experience, I can tell you how you feel will change on a daily, if not hourly basis. No matter how big or small your journey is, to you, it is big, so have faith in yourself, because when it looks the bleakest, a win is usually right around the corner.
"Good things come to those who wait...BUT THE LEFTOVERS OF THOSE WHO HUSTLE". Stay on track, grind it out and the good times are just around the corner. It is not a straight line, but a meandering road with a bunch of detours and shitty pit stops. As long as you commit to the destination, don’t be hard on yourself if it takes a little longer to get there.
