Stop Grinding & Start Sharpening
Everyone is grinding or “on their grind”! At least that’s how it seems in some of my social media feeds. People are grinding. But it doesn’t seem fun at all. They’re “grinding” and their faces have the mean-mug as if it’s a requirement to have you believe they are serious! It’s just like when I was a kid and my mom would give us supplements like castor oil, cod liver oil, Scott’s Emulsion and a list of terrible tasting liquids, all while telling us it would keep us healthy.
Did they keep us healthy? Maybe. I hope so. We didn’t get sick much. But, there were kids who took the same stuff and got sick. So, there’s that.
I’ve seen articles where celebrities, some of whom we might call successful talk about grinding while everyone else was asleep. I get it. But there are also stories where successful people like Albert Einstein slept 10 hours per day on a regular basis.
Sleep or work ethic isn’t the issue. But the glamorization of “grinding” as the main method of success is something which makes me wonder.
When gears grind together, they eventually lose their teeth and become less effective.
(Note: this is different from interlocking gears)
But, rubbing two iron blades together sharpens both. So, instead of always looking to grind, what can you do to sharpen?
Grinding involves going to the gym on your own and sweating until you can’t sweat anymore. Grinding involves staying up crazy hours to learn all the coding you need so you can finish your website to get it ready for your new business venture. Grinding involves researching every blog and article to find the marketing information you need in order to gain 10 subscribers on your site.
Grinding is fine but when you grind, you eventually burn out. When I go to my dentist, he tells me grinding is not a good thing. This eventually leads to flattening of the molars which makes them less able to do their job with food.
Sharpening is different. When you sharpen, you find a person, a coach, a mentor or a community who make you better simply by rubbing shoulders. When you sharpen, you recognize you need at least two objects of like material or like effort.
For many of us, it’s hard to find the correct “iron” to sharpen you and so you give up looking. Instead, you go back to doing it on your own and “grinding.” But, finding your “iron” isn’t as hard as you think. It may simply mean stepping out of your zone to join a rotary group, a Toastmasters club or fired up group of leaders who you don’t know. The barrier to success is usually us, whether we’re simply in fear mode or we are “on our grind.”
The best way I’ve found to sharpen is to join a mastermind group where I can be held accountable and continue to strategize about where I’m headed. In some cases, I’ve outgrown the particular group and that’s ok. What matters is the journey of continually seeking to sharpen my iron. And in order to do that, I’ve got to be open to the search. I’ve got to also be willing to let go of the “grind.”
P.S. — Ready to ROCK 2017? Click here to apply for an amazing mastermind to start in January of 2017.
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About The Author
My name is Robert Kennedy III. I’m a leadership and communication speaker, trainer and author. I recently released 7 Ways To Know You Were Meant To Lead on Amazon. Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or Facebook.
