Hey, it’s Lauren! I wanted to talk to you today about an experience, or multiple experiences, that I have had recently. There were stuck trucks, jackknifed trailers, and severe icy conditions. The skills that I learned during this wintery week are probably skills that I will not use on a regular basis. I will, however, use the gritty mental skills that were required through the whole process every day.
For me personally, it is very difficult to ask for help. I like to do things for myself and on my own. The skill of knowing when to ask for help is invaluable. Realistically, we can’t do everything ourselves. Over the last week of challenges, I have had to call upon my entire network for help and education as I problem solve my way through the icy conditions and vehicle challenges. Getting stuck on an icy hill with minimal traction and a heavy load of hay, horses, or other loads, is precarious and a little scary. I didn’t have a winch, sand, and other practical tools for getting unstuck. It was just me, a pair of chains, and a shovel. I learned how to use tire chains and called upon all the laws of physics to get unstuck on multiple occasions. Over the course of a week, I put these new skills to use on more than one occasion at each time I found myself thinking, “ OK, this has to get done and I’m the one to do it. There are no other options. I have the knowledge and the skill to make it happen but there is no one else here so figure it out.”
Oftentimes in business, we, as business owners, find ourselves in this lonely place of feeling like there are no other options, it’s an impossible task or goal, and it would be easier to give up or at least wait for the ice to melt in the spring! In that moment, you need to dig deep and find your gritty inner self to really focus and move forward one baby step at a time. When you can’t do everything, do everything that you can. Know who your resources are. Know when to call for help. Know that you aren’t truly alone, even if it seems so at that moment.
You were made to do hard things. It is in your DNA to overcome obstacles and challenges. It’s OK to flex your muscles and be powerful, conquering the hard things in life. Allow yourself the ability to think outside the box, be creative, and problem solve in a way that shows off how amazing you truly are. Don’t be afraid to dig deeper than you even knew was possible. You can do whatever is required to move forward even just an inch.
When it all seems impossible, grit your teeth, ask for help if you need it, and push forward just that little extra bit because you are capable of big, amazing things. Whether you are learning how to put tire chains on a very stuck truck or you are solving expensive problems in your business, learn the skills, get gritty, and be successful.
