Consciously embrace and tackle the hardships that promote growth that lead to the outcomes you desire.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Henry Ford
Life presents us with various challenges, and it’s natural for everything to feel difficult at times.
The key is to consciously embrace and tackle the hardships that promote growth that lead to the outcomes you desire, rather than opting for the easier path that may result in stagnation or regret.
I learned this important lesson early on in my shed sales career when I discovered that I had to take massive action in doing money-making activities consistently in order to get the sales that I desired. You see, taking massive action was hard, but not taking massive action would end up being much harder over time when I didn’t achieve my desired results.
Choosing your hard means confronting the tough journey of staying committed to your daily core responsibilities, or what I refer to as my Ten Core Commitments for Success in the Shed & Carport Industry. Over time it was like magic.
The more that I chose to push myself by making that extra follow-up call or asking customers for referrals, the more positive momentum I built, and my sales volume increased greatly. I was literally trying to eliminate distractions or inaction that were creeping around every corner.
I even prayed to be more intentional and focused.
While you might not have control over every aspect of your life (and that’s a certainty), you do have power over your reactions and decisions. It sounds so simple to control—it’s easy to do, and easy not to do. I always try to “control the controllables” in my business in order to help me make the right decisions.
There are many decisions that we make every day in life. For example, living in debt is hard, but so is practicing financial discipline. The choice is yours.
Communication can be challenging, yet the consequences of failing to communicate can be even tougher.
Consider fitness. Working out is hard, but neglecting your health takes a toll on both your body and mind.
I have days at the office where I do not want to record my leads or write in my ledger (temporary hard or maybe I should say inconvenience)—but the reality is not doing it can impact my business, my goals, and, overall, my results. I choose my hard daily.
These kinds of choices will recur throughout your life and career—choosing to delay versus choosing to prioritize.
It’s human nature to seek the easy way out. Opting for the easy path might offer a temporary shortcut, a brief relief, or simply kicking the can down the road. I highly recommend that you avoid that path.
The United States has a $37 trillion deficit because our leaders chose to spend like drunken sailors and deal with the consequences later down the road. The pain of fixing the problem is far worse than managing the budget from the beginning.
I encourage you to ask what choices you are making right now. Take a moment to reflect and consider which path you’d prefer when you encounter a crossroads. Are there opportunities for you to make a different choice that could lead to better results? Absolutely.
Life will never be without challenges; it will often be hard. However, we have the power to decide how we respond to those challenges.
Ultimately, the power lies in choosing your hard and not choosing is still making a choice. I encourage you to choose wisely and think long-term. Be blessed Shed Nation!
