Nobody Wants to Lift No Heavy Ass Weights
(First appeared in WRAL Techwire.)
The last two weeks we’ve focused on preparing you for a breakthrough year. And if you’re like me, you’ve set clear intentions or maybe you’ve declared a few resolutions. Listen, we all know how this goes; by mid-month we’re wondering why our motivation is waning.
Okay, time for a gut check. Last August, my son Tre asked me to watch this YouTube video. It featured bodybuilding legend and eight-time Mr. Olympia winner, Ronnie Coleman. And while Tre was locked in on Coleman’s freakish strength, I was locked in on something Ronnie repeatedly said:
“Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift no heavy-ass weights.”
When the video ended I told Tre, “I can play this word game all day.”
“Everybody wants to be an entrepreneur, but no one wants to take the risk.”
“Everybody wants to be fit, but no one wants to start moving.
“Everybody wants to be an author, but nobody wants to write 75,000 words.”
“Everybody wants to be in love, but nobody wants to do the work.”
Since 2015 I’ve gotten in the trenches and helped CEOs, executive directors, and early career professionals reinvent themselves.
In every case, I ask four questions. These questions provide the inspiration needed to pick up those proverbial weights and keep going. If, at any time down the road, they get distracted or overwhelmed, I simply take them back to their answers.
First: Who? Who’s benefiting from your reinvention? Who will you serve or guide as you make changes and take risks?
Second: What? What is your vision? Where are you headed? If you imagine yourself standing in the middle of a long country road, what’s on the horizon?
Maybe you want to further your education, prioritize your health, expand your role at work, serve your community, heck—get remarried.
Whatever it is, name it, describe it, feel it. This is YOUR story.
Third: How? How will you get there? Once you know who and what, your only goal should be to identify your next right step. Taking one step at a time is crucial in order to celebrate your wins and see your progress along the way.
Fourth: Why? Why are you doing this thing? Why now? Get crystal clear here. Write your answers down as a daily reminder. Walking along the path to reinvention isn’t smooth, and your WHY will provide the motivation you need to keep going on the days that are tough.
Think of today’s column as your personal trainer, giving you the pep talk to get into the gym and pick up those weights.
Remember:
Breakthroughs happen everyday; but they don’t happen by accident.
Breakthroughs aren’t miracles. Miracles are gifts and unearned.
Breakthroughs aren’t trite. “3 Easy Steps to a Breakthrough” isn’t real.
Breakthroughs ARE the result of little wins. Wins that only happen because you worked at it and stuck with it over time.
Want 2022 to be a breakthrough year? Go grab your weights.
