Would you like to have six-pack abs? Achieve financial freedom? Crush your career goals?
Of course you would—who wouldn’t? We all want to achieve great things, and many of us even have a ton of enthusiasm toward the goals that we’ve set. Enthusiasm is helpful because it fuels our motivation, but enthusiasm is common.
Anyone can be enthusiastic.
What’s rare is endurance.
On those days when you wake up feeling unmotivated—which will happen often—endurance will keep you pushing forward despite how you feel. If you want to be world class at something or achieve a huge goal, you won’t get there on enthusiasm alone.
The most successful people in the world aren’t always the most talented, luckiest, or most well-connected individuals. But what they all have in common, without fail, is endurance. They endured failure, ridicule, financial hardship, late nights, and loads of fear. There were hundreds of times when they could’ve given up, and yet they persevered despite their challenges.
How do I know this to be true?
Because it’s the story of how I started my business.
Endurance Helped Me Overcome Multiple Failures
The success I’ve achieved with Crisp Video didn’t come easy. I started my business with $500 to my name. There were times I worried I wouldn’t have the money to pay rent.
I was hungry to build a world-class business, though. To make that happen, I didn’t pitch people over email. I met with them at their office and walked through my sales presentation. I was told “no” once, twice, five times, seven times. The “no’s” kept coming, one right after the other.
At one point, I called my dad to update him on my efforts. After I told him I’d been rejected by seven potential clients, he advised I pack things up and go back to school. I didn’t listen.
I kept pitching potential clients—and kept getting rejected.
In fact, I heard “no” 21 times in a row.
What kind of person would keep getting their hopes up, only to have them crushed 21 times and keep coming back for more?
My enthusiasm was still there, but it wasn’t the fuel driving me forward. That was endurance. I kept going because I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I gave up on my dream right before I heard the “yes” that would blow things wide open.
There Were Times I Thought About Giving Up
Were there times during that string of 21 rejections that I thought about throwing in the towel? Of course! I had no money and no clients. So many people in my life were telling me to give up, and I didn’t blame them. What would you say to a loved one who keeps striking out?
Thankfully, I didn’t listen. Giving up represented the ultimate failure, and honestly, just the thought of it made me feel sick. So, after that 21st rejection, I gathered my materials and hit the road for a 5-hour round trip drive from Atlanta to Leesburg, Georgia, to meet with another potential client.
I actually got two speeding tickets—yes, TWO—on my way to and from that 22nd pitch meeting. I had no idea how I was going to pay those fines, as I was flat broke at that point.
That worry didn’t last long. After being told “no” 21 times, I got my first “yes.”
Today, Crisp Video has 40+ employees and over 800 clients. It all started on that day seven years ago.
I wasn’t the smartest guy, the best connected, or the one with the most funds. I was simply the guy who endured long after my enthusiasm had waned. That’s how I succeeded.
Endurance is the Ultimate Shortcut
We’re all looking for ways to avoid pain and failure.
What I had to do in the midst of my streak of rejection was reframe the way I thought about failure. Instead of saying, “I failed and now I’m a failure,” I looked at all those “no’s” as chances to learn something new and try a different approach. I was striking out, yes, but I was also gathering valuable intel for future pitches.
This simple reframe helped me to not give up. I also learned an important lesson during that time: endurance is a surer path to success than any kind of shortcut.
As a society, we are suckers for shortcuts. It’s the reason you see sellout crowds at the weekend events promising people they can become real estate millionaires. We’re drawn in by the allure of instant success and satisfaction, but also the promise that we can avoid failure and pain.
I would argue that endurance is the true shortcut. It will get you where you want to go faster than the mindset of trying to find the easiest, least stressful path. That’s because EVERY path to success is lined with challenges, which explains why the same people you see at the real estate seminars are the ones who are selling fitness supplements on Facebook six months later.
In seven years, my team and I have grown Crisp Video into an industry-leading business. The person seeking shortcuts will still be looking for the next big idea after seven years.
Hear me: I believe everyone has the right to explore different jobs and career options, especially if they’ve just graduated from college. By all means, experiment and try different things.
However, being world class at something means picking a lane, going full speed ahead, and staying 100% committed. I have yet to see anyone achieve a massive level of success using shortcuts and magic bullets. But I consistently see people achieve a massive level of success by gritting it out and hanging in there.
