I thought I would share a quick story, I was in Texas on tour with Pullman Standard for our winter tour at the beginning of 2014. This was the beginning of a new lineup for Pullman Standard, our original bassist Austin had told me that it would be his last tour with the band and we had a fill-in lead guitarist Steve ”Gilly” Gilliland, and a new drummer Eddie “Core”. We just finished playing a show in Abilene Texas and we were having van trouble. In order to fix the van I had to sell a beautiful brand new Gibson SG guitar to pay for the repairs. The guitar had a little bit more meaning to me because I had won it in a songwriting competition, I was proud of that guitar. I guess because of what it represented to me. The repairs on the van didn’t really fix it fully, it just helped us finish the tour. Yet, I digress. It Started snowing on the way into Dallas and the overall feeling of the tour was slightly morose, probably not from the other guys in the bands point of view, but for me I was a little maybe even a lot of down. I always believe in moving forward, even through adversity, or should I say especially through adversity. Sometimes you have to imagine there’s a light at the end of the tunnel even when you don’t see it, and at that moment I couldn’t see it. After our show in Fort Worth I had a really good chat with our drummer who understood where I was coming from, he said “Timmy, I don’t have the words that I think you’re looking for, but let me send you a link to an article I read not too long ago. It might help you be encouraged that what you are doing is a good thing. You are following your dreams and you’re doing the hard things to get there.” We posted up at a cheap motel that night and before I went to bed I read the article which filled me full of motivation. This is what it said…
You have to make the call you’re afraid to make.
You have to get up earlier than you want to get up.
You have to give more than you get in return right away.
You have to care more about others than they care about you.
You have to fight when you are already injured, bloody, and sore.
You have to feel unsure and insecure when playing it safe seems smarter.
You have to lead when no one else is following you yet.
You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is.
You have to look like a fool while you’re looking for answers you don’t have.
You have to grind out the details when it’s easier to shrug them off.
You have to deliver results when making excuses is an option.
You have to search for your own explanations even when you’re told to accept the “facts”.
You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot.
You have to try and fail and try again.
You have to run faster even though you’re out of breath.
You have to be kind to people who have been cruel to you.
You have to meet deadlines that are unreasonable and deliver results that are unparalleled.
You have to be accountable for your actions even when things go wrong.
You have to keep moving towards where you want to be no matter what’s in front of you.
YOU HAVE TO DO THE HARD THINGS.
The things that no one else is doing. The things that scare you. The things that make you wonder how much longer you can hold on. Those are the things that define you. Those are the things that make the difference between living a life of mediocrity or outrageous success.
THE HARD THINGS ARE THE EASIEST THINGS TO AVOID. TO EXCUSE AWAY. TO PRETEND LIKE THEY DON’T APPLY TO YOU.
The simple truth about how ordinary people accomplish outrageous feats of success is that they do the hard things that smarter, wealthier, more qualified people don’t have the courage — or desperation — to do. Do the hard things. You might be surprised at how amazing you really are.