Disciplined Through Difficulty

Don’t Waste Time Looking for Shortcuts?

“There are no secrets to success: Don’t waste time looking for them. Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty to those for whom you work with and for, and persistence”.

~General (ret) Colin Powell

Our current society and culture promote the “easy/quick fix” solutions, and many people have long foregone the “crockpot” method of success. People will line up by the multitudes at the proverbial bus stop waiting on that “easy bus” to show up and give them a free ride. Heads up, if you stay there, I see two possible outcomes:

1. You will get slap run over by life
2. You get picked up by the easy bus, later only to crash and realize just how much you have wasted

No shortcuts in life will produce legacy results, so stop wasting your time looking for them! One in a million may win the lottery, but that is one in a million! Are you the lucky one? You will waste such valuable resources (mainly time and energy) looking for that elusive shortcut that will inevitably put you behind, WAY behind.

Find your tribe to go on the journey with you. Now, while there aren’t any shortcuts, there are some brilliant paths that others have previously forged that we can and should learn from. If you try to do this all by yourself, you will fail.

We must be disciplined through difficulty! We must go through hard and challenging situations to build resilience instead of just discussing it. As we go through difficult situations, we will inevitably enhance our strength for additional life challenges because they will continue to come at us.

We go through the hard stuff to overcome and be #hardtokill ! If we try to go around all the difficult things in life, we only become weaker and weaker; when that difficult situation finally does show up, the one we can’t get around, we will fail because we are a vulnerable and easy target.

I have outlined some things that have helped me be disciplined through difficulty, and they will help you too.

IF IT IS WORTH DOING, IT IS WORTH DOING RIGHT         

“Caleb, if it is worth doing, it is worth doing right!”

~My Mom

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard her words. Most of the time, it was when I was about to take a shortcut or at least tempted. Then I said, yes, I need to do this right, representing what I stand for.

There will be many times when you are faced with a decision to do a job or task haphazardly or to buckle down and do it right. There are no shortcuts in life that will lead to any real success or legacy building; you must do it right, even when it is inconvenient. Sometimes you may even think that the task you have been assigned is not worth doing, and maybe you are right, but perhaps you aren’t.

I advise you to ask someone about it. Ask your inner circle their thoughts on it. Sometimes you will find that some tasks are done solely because that is what has always been done. You may uncover a secret, a way to do it better! However, if it is legitimate and must be done, do it better than anyone else!

KEEP AN A+ ATTITUDE        

Being disciplined through difficulty requires a combination of passion, focus, commitment, patience, and perseverance, ultimately leading to success in whatever you do.

To perform your best, manage conflicts, deal with adversity, and care for yourself (and others as it applies), you must develop, maintain, and exude a positive attitude. A positive attitude is contagious! You need an attitude of gratitude! My good friend Crystal Harris would say, “Your attitude determines your altitude!”

How many of us genuinely are grateful or have an attitude of gratitude? It is not nearly as many as it should be! Most of us go through life looking. We seek the quickest, easiest way to the “top,” an easy fix, and instant gratification to obtain the next great gadget or get what the “Jones” have.?

Podcast with my friend Crystal Attitude of Gratitude

There will be plenty of opportunities on our journey and highs and lows. What keeps you going during those low times? While you may disagree, I submit that maintaining an attitude of gratitude will go a?long way to ensuring that you do not go too low nor stay there too long waiting on that proverbial “easy bus.”

FIND A MENTOR        

Good mentors can provide you with the advice, guidance, candid feedback, and global perspective you need to progress personally and professionally. Choose wisely; only look for mentors you trust, not those just where you want to be. Many claim to “mentor” others, but that is not true based on their actions.?

Based on my experience, I have only seen a handful of people that genuinely mentor others. When choosing a mentor (maybe better stated as a coach), make sure that it is someone that you genuinely respect, based on their core values and demonstrated character, and not just what they have accomplished. Trust me, when someone has different personal values, or at least values that complement yours, their advice will be, at best, hard to follow. Our core values motivate and inspire us, so it isn’t easy when they do not align!

TAKE ON THE TOUGH JOBS        

Demanding tasks and difficult situations allow you to exercise your “leadership muscle” and sharpen your skills for life. It will build the strength and resilience you need to overcome future challenges. You must have the courage and confidence to take any assignment that will challenge your abilities. Too many people don’t like to work, much less love to work anymore; however, that is where you will find your edge! Outwork anyone and everyone in difficult situations.?

How often have you heard someone say, “It is all about opportunities and timing?” Opportunities often appear like obstacles or challenges, and the time is?now to lace up your boots and get after them! I have?never taken on a formidable job and have been sorry. It has?always been the opposite! I have grown so much and multiplied my confidence through these tough jobs; honestly, that is why it is called “blazing your trail.”

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL        

Knowing what you can and cannot control brings freedom and allows you to focus on those things that you can control and influence. Your situation might suck, but you must focus on what you can control. My time in the military has taught me a lot in this arena?and to stay calm when it all goes wrong.?

Orient yourself to the situation and observe everything happening (I mean?everything). Calmly assess based on your basic human senses; then and only then should you decide on an action. Knowing what you can control is essential to your happiness and incredibly freeing! When you are free from the worry, dread, and fear of the things you cannot control, you are better prepared and energized to focus on those things you can control.

You Have the Power of Choice?& Be Credible

You always have a choice on how you respond. What will your choice be? Will you fold under pressure or unhappiness, or will you remember your first step that there are some things that you can control? Do not let your mind be stuck on the repeat cycle of worrying about what you do not know or cannot control.?

You?need to stay in control, which is purely a choice…your choice. Do not complain! That is another choice. For example, how do you typically respond when a driver cuts you off in traffic? Most of us are so easily angered by this, and some even go into a rage. What does that type of choice gain us??Nothing but bitterness (probably because we could not catch up and “discuss” the infraction), embarrassment (because of how we acted), or worse, it becomes rage.?

So, something that lasts a mere second or two ends up controlling so much more because of our choice… choose wisely! Choose to look for the positives in your situation. We already know you cannot control some things, so do?not waste your time and emotional capital by focusing on them, but rather focus on those aspects of the situation that can be turned into a positive experience. Our attitudes are critical when we are unhappy with our circumstances. Are you choosing to grow, evolve or share with those around you?

REFLECTIONS:

There aren’t any shortcuts on our success journey, so do?not waste your time looking for them! You only need to focus on things you can control and not fall into the “worry trap” of overthinking them. It would be best to have a network of people versus a wall of accomplishments, and you will start to find success there.

Key Points:

1. Keep an A+ Attitude
2. Take on the tough jobs?
3. Find a mentor?
4. Focus on what you can control

Reflective Questions:

1. Do you avoid difficulty?
2. What are you focused on?

Team Engagement:?Click?HERE