I hired a former Army Ranger to run my auto repair business.
Collin spent 20 years in the military, including multiple deployments leading special operations teams
I asked him what separated the people who made it through Special Operations from the ones who didn't.
His answer stuck with me:
Most people who wash out had the ability. They had the intelligence. They were physically fit.
But they'd quit today.
When they were cold. When they were hungry. When their legs were screaming, and their mind were begging for relief.
The ones who made it had a different internal dialogue.
They kept telling themselves, "I'll quit tomorrow"
That's it.
They weren't thinking about weeks of suffering ahead. They were just making it to lunch.
Then lunch comes. Stomach feels a little better. Legs feel a little better.
"Alright. I’ll quit after dinner."
Then it's tomorrow. Then it's next week.
Quitters normally had an easier life. The moment it got hard, they had no practice pushing through.
The ones who made it weren't physical beasts. They were in the bottom of the top quartile. But they had something the talented ones didn't.
They knew how to delay the quit.
It's no different in business.
I've had plenty of opportunities to quit over the last decade while building a $50M/year business.
Lawsuits, accidents, running out of cash.
Feeling I’m not good enough
But I just kept pushing through.
“I’ll quit tomorrow”
I'm grateful tomorrow never came.
Cheers!
Brian
