Sorry in advance for the cheese 🧀
For those of you who want to quit something today...
Every Monday night I take a workout class at my gym where we do awfully hard things, like a million burpees and a gazillion pushups. I’m always thankful for the loud music, because otherwise I’d hear about 30 people grunting and panting, and it would be really awkward.
I work out other days of the week, too, but those Monday afternoon classes are always the hardest. I’m always sore on Tuesday mornings, which either means I’m getting stronger, or my joints need some serious WD-40.
You know why I keep going back even though the class is painful?
When we’re in what the trainer calls the “RX” part of the workout (I don’t even know what that means other than it sucks), she yells, “The second you want to quit is the second it starts to count, people!”
In other words, pain isn’t a bad thing; it’s an indication of progress.
That preaches.
I don’t have a pithy way to connect this story back to your business. I just wanted to share it with you because work is hard. Owning a business is toiling. It can often feel like you’re carrying really heavy weights or doing a hundred burpees.
There are definitely times when letting go is the right choice.
But I’ve found, in my business and in my personal life, that when I choose to push through even though I feel like quitting, a great big “thank-goodness-I-didn’t-quit” is right on the other side.
There have been days when I’ve searched for full-time job openings, with PTO and set hours and an HR representative. I often feel overwhelmed by roles I wouldn’t have to take on if I had a boss to tell me what to do. I love my business, but it’s not always butterflies and rainbows, and more than once, I’ve come close to throwing in the towel.
But on those days I’ll remember my Monday night classes and the lovely trainer who barks out the words, “the second you want to quit is the second it starts to count,” and I’ll remind myself that not everything that’s hard needs to be given up on.
I hope this word of encouragement hits some of you right through the soul on this lovely day. Â
For the rest of you, please forgive my cheesiness, and next week I promise to share something with fewer Kraft Singles vibes.