No challenge, no change!

I have a couple of favourite sayings that I use in a number of different settings and I wanted to share them with you.

The first is "No challenge, no change" and I love this 'cos it's kind of obvious but at the same time, I'm not sure that people always get it. It's a bit like going to the gym and spending all of your time talking or walking slowly reading a book on the treadmill and then expecting to have a six pack and be the fittest human on earth by the end of it. If it doesn't feel like a challenge, then it isn't, and you won't change off the back of it.

I also compare this saying to difficult situations at work i.e. a tough presentation in front of a big audience, or a response on a bid that just seems so complicated. Sometimes things just seem so big and scary that I want to shy away from them. But the thing is, if you don't go for it and try, you don't grow and change and I have definitely grown and changed from the tough challenges that I've been through both at work and personally. We have to keep trying because trying is changing, failing is changing, being successful is also changing, but typically changing is challenging in one way or another.

Utilising 'new' technologies can also be a challenge, but how do you change the way you do business if you don't try? How does your business move forward into the next chapter of it's own evolution if you don't reach out and embrace the new technologies that are designed to enhance and help you grow? Dare I also say that whether you're for Brexit it or against it, it will definitely be challenging, but we will grow as a country on the back of it and who knows where we'll be a year from now?!

My second favourite saying is "buy cheap, buy twice" and I've seen this to be true over and over in varying circumstances. Now I'm not saying that you have to purchase the most designer, expensive 'stuff' all, or some, of the time; I'm just suggesting that sometimes if it's a bit more expensive then there's probably a good reason for it. I've bought cheaper items in the past i.e. clothing, household brands etc and they've not done the job they've been required to do so I've had to go back and buy a better version, which has basically meant that I've spent twice on the same thing. A good example was just a couple of weeks ago when I decided to buy a supermarkets own brand of dishwasher tablets and I quickly found out that they just left bits of food on our cutlery etc, so I had to go back and buy a more expensive brand that I know works. Not only did I spend twice on the same product type, I also spent time and money on the journey there and back and the time out of my weekend spent in the supermarket - again! So the moral of that story is to make sure we buy what we need and will complete the job, not just the cheapest.

We can apply this "buy cheap, buy twice" theory to everything in life, personal items, big lifetime items like a car etc, and work items be it stationary, IT, uniforms etc etc. So from a business perspective, are you really doing your company a favour going for price first when there's a strong possibility that you'll be re-purchasing that item again earlier than you would be if you'd just spent a little more?! Focus and buy the right product for the job, just like you'd hire the right person for the job, and the results you see will be the right ones.

Another favourite saying of mine is "with pain comes strength' as we all know that painful moments i.e. deaths, job losses, relationship breakdowns etc, all bring pain, but again we grow off the back of them so although we don't see the benefit at the time, it does become obvious later in other areas of life. We become stronger and more wise and I for one love that feeling when I know I've come through something and am now stronger because of it.

If you have a favourite saying let me know what it is and why. I find them very interesting and it's always fascinating to understand how they've shaped your behaviours and life experiences.