While listening to a podcast this morning I had a huge realization about something. You hear people talk about the “Grind” and assume that they are talking about the 12 hours that they put in at work that day, or the fact that they pushed themselves to go to the gym even after a long hard day. That’s the context that I always used the word “Grind” in. Don’t get me wrong, it totally applies there but today I heard it used in a different aspect, one that really got me thinking….
I had a friend refer me to Andy Frisella’s The MF CEO Project podcast and I started listening to them this morning. I love it because I respond well to the real life, raw, in your face emotion that he gives off. I don’t like sugar coated advice or tips on how to make it in this world. In my opinion, that seriously defeats the purpose of advice, but that is a conversation for a different day. Back to the word GRIND. Andy was talking about how successful entrepreneurs are 2% of the population. Only 2% of people actually stay focused and finish what they started. He goes into great detail explaining how he came up with that percentage, and it totally makes sense. In part of his explanation he says that most people who start a business can’t make it through the “grind”. Meaning they can not deal with the mundane, day to day tasks that are necessary to be successful. The day to day consistency that is a crucial part of growing a successful business or brand. People get lazy, they wander away from the tasks that they know are important and after a short while, it drags their business down. This makes SO much sense to me! And I feel like that is exactly where I am right now. Perfecting and hustling at my day to day Grind. Getting the perfect routine down to make this business work. They tell you that you have to put in the work in order to get the results that you desire, and this is definitely the truth. But what they don’t tell you is that the day to day tasks and repetitive action that make up the necessary Grind are not always exciting and fun. Yep, that’s right. Owning your own businesses isn’t all sunshine and roses. Its not just me sitting in my PJ’s in my office sipping coffee playing on social media (pj’s and coffee are only part of it sometimes…well pj’s are only sometimes, coffee is always) Starting a business out of nothing more than a vision you have in your head isn’t an easy task. It takes passion, strength and dedication. It takes you being married to that daily grind of mundane tasks, staying on task, no matter what! Its perfecting the way that you provide your service and how you manage your business. Consistency is key!
So after finishing that podcast this morning I was truly inspired. I am inspired to stay glued to the grind and not steer off course. I am the 2% and I will prove it! Are you the 2%?
(Want to check out Andy’s podcast? Click the link above, but a forewarning..if you are offended by curse words and brutal honesty, you might want to steer clear 🙂 )
© 2015 Jamie Thurber. @jmeirene. All Rights Reserved