Yesterday I wrote about how this new recession is an Invitation to Improvement.
We have an invitation before us to become better businesspeople and to serve our customers and clients better than before.
There is an economic reality that we must always remember.
People will always pay for solutions to their problems.
Thomas Edison famously said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
When there are problems, heroes thrive.
Heroes are looking for problems.
Think about the most respected people.
When there is a house on fire, most people flee from the house.
Not firemen. They run into that burning house.
When there is a war, most people go into hiding.
Not our military. They are on the front-line dodge bullets so they can defend liberty.
When there is a global pandemic, our healthcare professionals are standing in the storm saving lives.
Heroes look for problems to solve.
Problems bring heroes life.
We all love heroes because they show us the best part of humanity.
Heroes do their job when required because they are devoted to making a difference.
Heroes devote themselves to solving humanity’s problems.
When challenges arise, the masses do what the masses do.
They dwell in mediocrity and give up their power to be a difference maker.
The masses look at problems as limitations.
Heroes see problems as an opportunity to serve those who they care about.
When I was 21, I enlisted in the US Army.
I spent the next three years of my life reframing how I looked at life.
The lessons I learned in the Army became foundational to my approach to life.
One of the things I miss most about my military life was the camaraderie I shared with my fellow soldiers.
We were all working together for a common purpose that was more important than each of us individually.
We continually reviewed and practiced our most critical skills.
We strove to become so proficient at those critical skills that they became reflex actions.
We needed those critical skills to become reflexes so that when we faced split second decisions, we acted instead of wasting precious time thinking about what we should do.
In the heat of war, you don’t have time to think, you must act.
Think about the master pianist.
Everyday he still goes back to practicing scales.
By playing the skills, the pianist reinforces the agility and timing that is crucial to playing a masterpiece.
Heroes continually hone their craft every day.
Their craft becomes their life work.
What does it take to be a hero?
Standing up to your fears.
Everyone faces fears daily.
If you aren’t facing fears, then it’s time to ask a significant question.
Why am I not facing fears?
About a year ago I read the book Do It Scared by Ruth Soukup.
I was fascinated when I heard her say, “I’m scared every day of my life.”
My initial response was you’ve got to be kidding me.
Ruth is an amazingly successful businesswoman.
She runs a seven-figure business that she started ten years ago as a blog where she documented her struggle to change her spending habit.
I couldn’t remember the last time I was scared about anything.
As I pondered that thought even more, my mind went back to the years of the Great Recession when I was scared out of my mind.
I was unemployed, highly educated, with two toddler girls and a wife that believed in me.
The only thing keeping us afloat was the weekly ~$400 unemployment check.
That was the scariest moment of my life.
I had no idea how I was going to get myself up off of the ground.
Even though I was scared out of my mind, I kept doing whatever I could to makes some scratch.
Every day I persisted despite my fears.
Heroes are heroes because they do what is necessary.
They are scared out of their minds but they don’t let that fear prevent them from doing the right thing.
Today is a day to put on the hero’s robes.
You deserve to be your own hero.
Grab hold of your destiny and make yourself proud.
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