Just push through it

The theme for these past few weeks is how my hobbies like hiking and kayaking have helped me in the business world. This post is no different. I went for a three hour hike this past weekend. The weather was perfect, cool and clear. About halfway through my hike, I felt blisters starting to form on my toes. This became excrutiating after a very short while. But, I had to keep putting one foot in front of the other if I wanted to get back to my car.

What I learned from this painful experience:

1. Keeping pushing ahead, even if it’s painful.
To reach a goal, sometimes all that’s needed is sheer determination. What about that new skill you’ve committed to learning? Those cold calls you keep putting off? The uncomfortable conversation with a colleague/partner?

2. Being shortsighted can really hurt you in the long run.
Foolish me; I have new, roomier hiking boots. I was being frugal and trying to squeeze a few more trips with my old boots. BIG mistake; I didn’t enjoy this hike as much as I could have, given the pain I was feeling. Are you thinking through all the implications of your decisions?

3. Fear can hurt you.
I didn’t want to use my new hiking boots, since I hadn’t yet broken them in. I was afraid they would be too uncomfortable. How ironic. What are you afraid of? Rejection, failure? Think of what will happen if you do nothing.

So, sometimes you have to keep pushing ahead, even though it hurts. Stop thinking about what you SHOULD have done and just keep moving forward.