- February 13, 2018 -
One of my old high school buddies reminded me that another reunion was coming up soon...and we got to talking about the "old" days.
Our group keeps getting smaller...our waistlines bigger.
And hair? We won't even go there LOL
A lot of us were in band together from elementary school all the way through high school.
I originally played clarinet and was first chair in the 6th grade band. Then I decided I didn't want to play clarinet anymore...I wanted to play the trumpet.
My dad, grandfather and uncle all played trumpet. So...I wanted to play trumpet.
I remember being in the cafeteria one day after telling my band teacher my decision...he walked over to where I was eating lunch with my friends, grabbed my clarinet and said I'd never learn to play the trumpet.
Challenge on!
By the end of junior high, I was first chair trumpet...which means you get to play solos and lead the trumpet section.
It meant you were the best.
But when I moved to the high school, I was low guy again.
And the only way to move up was to "challenge" the person in the chair in front of you.
So we'd tell our band teacher we wanted to challenge each other...and he'd let us know when the challenge would take place.
It was kind of like a duel...and there could be only one winner.
By the time I was a senior, I had won the final challenge and gained the first chair spot.
For a band geek...this was like throwing the final pass that scored the winning touchdown in the state football playoffs!!
Nowadays, some schools have eliminated the "chair challenge" system.
Apparently many students tend to feel less valuable if they aren't first chair...it's not good for their self-confidence.
So now these schools have no chairs in the band to help students avoid feeling bad about not being very good on their instruments.
Give me a break! I call b.s.
The sooner you learn to work hard and earn a new "chair" -- the sooner you learn about life in the real world.
And it's the same for us as marketers and as business owners.
+ Failing is part of life. (remember yesterday we said that you really only fail if you quit.)
+ Failing one challenge doesn't mean you are a complete failure.
+ Overcoming a challenge doesn't ensure that you'll never be challenged again.
+ Facing challenges head on makes you stronger and more resilient.
Somehow, those of us who grew up learning the lesson of the “chair” system got along just fine in life.
The key is to challenge yourself every day with completing 1-3 tasks/goals (depending on the complexity) that will move the dial forward for you.
Consistently...every day.
For us, our daily email Monday through Friday is a non-negotiable.
It's become a routine, a discipline...something I now look forward to.
On my To-Do list (paper, not digital) I write three words across the top of the sheet every single day...
It's a constant reminder that if whatever is on that list doesn't fit into one of those buckets...I shouldn't be doing it.
So my challenge to you today is to take a look at what you're doing in a day.
My business coach literally has me write down every single activity that I fill my day with...so that we can cut out all the stuff that doesn't move the business to the "next chair."
I challenge you to do the same. It's humbling and kind of sickening to see the pure volume of non-productive busy work we often do...
But the exercise does work!
If we can help you with the biggest challenges that are holding you back from automating your marketing and using Infusionsoft better, schedule a free consult.
Talk soon,
[leadpages_leadbox leadbox_id=14555ac46639c5] [/leadpages_leadbox]
