A King Never Dies: The Power of Decisiveness

It’s said that a ‘King never dies’ and ‘A champion never quits’.

A few months ago when I was sick as a dog, I asked a friend –

Why is it so hard for me to stop, even though I feel awful?

And he responded with this –

Because champions don’t quit.

But what does that mean, really? Maybe you’re saying so what (to this post and outlook). You’re clearly stating ‘I am neither a king or champion…’

In honesty, everyone is a champion (and king or queen) if we get out of our own way and allow ourselves to be.

We are all born so beautiful. The greatest tragedy is being convinced we are not. – Rupi Kaur

I find this quote to be very true and I also believe there are very specific qualifies and mindsets that champions have vs. quitters.

So what are those? Here are my top 3.

1) IT’S BETTER TO BE TOLD ‘NO’ THAN TO NOT ASK AT ALL.

I start here – because, while I hate hearing ‘no’ on many levels; I do know that it’s necessary and ultimately makes me push harder to get to ‘yes’ or whatever it is I am gunning for.

But… In a professional setting, how does this work and specifically for:

How do I get used to hearing ‘no’ (a lot) on a daily basis?

Simple answer – keep going and make the decision to push forward (y’all see what I did here… tying it back to the title – decisiveness). The reality is though; it will be days, months and years of pushing forward (even when it’s not the popular thing to do) and overcoming career adversities, challenges, victories, losses, managers, boards, executives, clients and colleagues.

Once a champ decides that they are moving forward, that is the ultimate long game ‘play’ that will take them to victory.

Which takes me to #2 –

2) IF THIS SHIT WAS EASY – EVERYONE WOULD BE DOING IT.

For me, social has done many things and one of my favorite things, is that it’s created relationships with very powerful and influential people. A consistent topic of late is pushing through situations, deals and scenarios (even when it’s tough and yes, seemingly impossible).

Champions don’t stop  â€“ finding ways to make the deal happen or influence a team to support their vision (when previously opposed). They negotiate, barter, wheel n’ deal and get to that signed contract (or whatever the ‘get’ is they were going for – done).

It’s okay to have doubt, angst, upheaval and want to quit – maybe even day dream or fantasize about all that you would do to escape having to push forward this next big deal with what seems like an impossible client OR solving a problem no one else can…

It’s a moment in time or a bad day, it’s not a bad life and a true champion knows the difference between the two.

As the saying goes:

A champion was once a contender that refused to give up.

Which is # 3 – what do you truly need to do to be a champ vs. a contender?

Simple – THIS:

‘NORMAL’ IS WHAT THE MAJORITY DOES.

SO, STOP AND DO THIS INSTEAD:

1.      Before you pray – believe

2.      Before you speak – listen

3.      Before you spend – earn

4.      Before you write – think

5.      Before you quit – try

6.      Before you die - live

But truth is – a champion just keeps going. It’s critical to not downplay this as part of the process and pushing past the limits and truly being victorious.

It’s a natural part of greatness – so own it, lean into it, move forward and do epic shit.

Here’s your music motivation (yes, classic LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out)

I would love to hear from you: like, love, hate or you’re already a champion…  Comments wanted. Or engage with me on Twitter at @shannpeng