It Only Takes A Few Minutes To Change Your Life
Most people don’t reach the success they desire because of one simple thing. They quit. Maybe they don’t quit altogether. But they quit in the moment. They quit at a critical time and they lose momentum. Then when they come back, if they do, it’s as if they are starting over again.
I’ve been going to the gym for months. When I first went, I was hoping to see big changes. I was hoping that with just a few days of hard work, my body would automatically blossom to the Schwarzenegger physique I’d been seeking for my entire life. OK. I’m being a little tongue in cheek. But, if we’re truthful, somewhere in the recesses of our mind, we secretly hope that we have to do less work than it takes. It’s why get-rich-quick schemes attract us. We are always looking for an easier way to the destination.
Is it bad to want to be more “efficient”?
Of course not. But, the downside of that search is we’ve become committed to a culture of convenience.
“When you’re curious, you do what’s convenient. When you’re committed, you do what it takes.”
My first business coach used to always ask the question, “Are you curious or are you committed?” Committed people are consistent people. Curious people quit at the first sign of challenge. In order to see the gains I need in the gym or anywhere else, consistency and commitment is necessary.
I had the pleasure of connecting some months ago with another writer on Medium, Todd Brison. He shared with me the story of writing and no one seeing what he was doing. So, he was tempted to quit. But, he decided that not only was he going to keep writing, he was going to begin adding video responses to anyone who responded to what he posted. Todd is followed by more than 50k people now because he chose to be committed.
Another writer, Yann Girard, shares how he started writing daily and has been writing daily for more than 2 years now. He wanted to quit because for a while, it felt like no one was reading. But he also pushed through and has organically built a following of more than 49k people as well as gaining business traction with his writing.
It can feel lonely when you are pouring out your heart onto a page and no one says boo. You can question your intentions when you take the time to push through your own resistance to spend 30 minutes dialing up your best stuff only to hear crickets in return.
But, you’ve got to believe in the hard work. Your pores must breathe faith and trust that there is a reason for what you are up to. There are countless stories of people who pushed through on an idea for decades before it paid off. You’ve probably heard the story of Colonel Sanders who didn’t make success with Kentucky Fried Chicken until the age of 69. Almost four decades of persistence allowed him to finally reach significance. What if he’d quit at 29? What if he’d given up at 39 or 49?
When you stick to something, slowly but surely, you begin to get rewarded for your persistence. You begin to be associated with this idea and this action.
Imagine that there is a young singer who decides he want to sing in the subway of New York City. He does this regularly. But no one really pays attention. Month after month turns into year after year. Sure, sometimes people stop and listen until their trains come. But, do they really notice him? The years turn to decades. He continues to execute his craft and improving his performance. I started off this paragraph with the word “imagine” but this has actually happened. Subway singer, Mike Yung, started singing in the subway as a teen. Recently, at the age of 57, Mike was recorded singing in the subway and the video went viral. He has now been brought on to America’s Got Talent and quite a few of the late shows. What if Mike stopped singing at 19, or 29, or 39? What if he simply said, “This isn’t worth it. No one is really paying attention and I’m not getting paid what I want. I’m singing but I’m not sure if people are really listening.”?
It’s hard. The journey isn’t easy. And quite often, you will wonder if the journey is even worth it. But while you might change your tools from time to time, you’ve got to stick with the path.
You may decide you want to write with a computer instead of a pen…stick with it!
You may decide you want to use free weights instead of the machines…stick with it.
You may decide you want to speak about your story instead of writing it…stick with it.
You may decide you want to pursue your own real estate brokerage instead of being an agent…stick with it.
The only way to find out if you can reach the wild success you envision is to stick with it!
Be committed!
It’s hard. It’s VERY hard. You’ll have pain. You’ll want to quit. But that’s how you know you should STICK WITH IT!
Because it may only take those few minutes of action to totally change your life.
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About The Author
My name is Robert Kennedy III. I’m a professional speaker and author. I speak and write mainly about leadership and communication. Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook or on my website, RobertKennedy3.com
