Every year a plethora of Americans attempt to become devoutly pious on the topic of stating and following through on a New Year’s Resolution. More times than not, this resolution is to start something new (again, …again, …again,…) or to change something existing. For example, this year, my friend Joe Schmuckatelli will start working out at his gym on a regular basis to “get my body back to game weight….” Needless to say, after being deprived of McDonald’s dollar double cheeseburgers for a month, the resolution will eventually fizzle soon after. Another example, this time for changing something existing, will be my other friend Charlie Dumplewad who wants to quit smoking. After replacing cigarettes for cigars, his wife hating the smell, and him then replacing cigars for food and beer, he gained 20 pounds, resolved to work out in the gym, failed at that and is back to smoking cigarettes but is now 20 pounds heavier. Does this broken record sound familiar in a closet-of-skeletons kind of way?
Andy Harris, the author of a monthly newsletter called “Elite Performer Monthly” talks about the motivation and incentive aspects of success. I found this bit to be relevant to my story:
“…From my years in management I have found that there are specific traits elite performers and high producers share. There are also specific traits that the mediocre producers or failures share. While external efforts are made to help all succeed, you simply cannot change one’s free will. In the long haul, people will do what they do. Some things simply cannot be trained, regardless of how hard you try. There is no temporary or short-term option for success and you can’t help someone if they truly don’t have the desire to succeed. It’s all or nothing to succeed in this industry, every day. You must understand yourself and how to stay motivated, along with the difference between motivation and incentives….”
So let me share a bit of Stewart’s Pearls of Wisdom on staying focused and motivated. One needs to look at building and growing a business like physically changing your body when working out. Muscles grow when pushed to the limit, ‘no pain, no gain.’ Physiologically speaking, when a muscle is exerted beyond a point of comfort and physical capabilities, the tissues tear. Growth is when the muscle is rebuilt but with greater density and more tissues, creating a larger muscle that is stronger.
A business may be metaphorically built the same way. As the business is stressed by volume, it breaks down and then needs to grow to handle the added ‘weight’ of more clients. Growth may be more processors, a larger sales staff, or offering more products.
The common link in the quest to build one’s body and to grow one’s business is the motivation or incentive to do so. These are derivatives of effort. As I wrote in my column the last November 2009 issue:
Effort = rigor + persistence + passion + endurance.
Go back and read that column for the specifics about each component, then see how you can “find the pain” and use that as your incentive. Then apply effort to motivate and grow your business. In fact, grow your body in the same manor. You may even find that the motivation in the gym stimulates the internal secretion of endorphins which stimulate production of neuro-conductors in the brain and creates a healthy mindset to productively grow your business.
And if you don’t believe me, then you will have to work your ass off in the gym, and grow your business to see if I am correct in my analysis, or just blowing smoke… email me when you find out.
Andy Harris President of Vantage Mortgage Group. Andy may be reached at [email protected]
Stewart Mednick is a seasoned mortgage banker and published author. His writing focuses on relationship development, personal empowerment, customer satisfaction, marketing and sales techniques. Stewart is available for marketing consulting, personal coaching and training sessions. If you have a comment or a question for Stewart, contact him at 651-895-5122 or [email protected]
