Friction is Required for Polish
Don’t just look for the silver linings. Accept the struggle for what it is. Lean into adversity and learn from it.
We’re on the other side of 2020. It’s officially a thing of the past, and hopefully that means we can stop talking about it like a prison sentence. There were lessons to be learned--hard ones. If you were able to keep your head out of the sand, you’ve likely come out of 2020 as a better human being than you were going into it, even if your business or your job don’t look anything like they used to.
Don’t just look for the silver linings. Accept the struggle for what it is. Lean into adversity and learn from it.
I talked to a lot of people over the past several weeks who said things like, “when things get back to normal…” and “the silver lining in all of this is…” I believe those sentiments are missing the point. Silver linings are intended to help you feel better about a situation, to help you cope and get through. They’re a distraction.
It’s one thing to find the good in any situation, but you can’t afford to ignore the lessons that last year tried to teach us.
I don’t subscribe to the theory that life is a constant struggle. There will always be challenges, and when they present themselves, you should look inward. There aren’t enough people willing to do that, because it’s really hard. Looking in the mirror presents you with more work to do. The struggle essentially compounds. Who has time for that?
Discomfort like this should mean something. There’s a transformation that happens. The end result is more experience, better perspective, and wisdom. On the other side of struggle is growth. Are you willing to see it, or are you running from it?
Do you ever see those beautiful stones in the gift shops when you’re on vacation? Maybe it’s just the places my family goes, but it seems like everywhere between Mackinac Island and Walt Disney World has these bins full of polished rocks and crystals. I have no idea why these are significant to the places you buy them.
These stones spend hours, days, or even weeks in multiple tumblers, each containing different grains of sand.. Gradually, the stone’s rough edges are smoothed out, and ultimately polished into something that’s worth a few bucks. A week or so prior, they were otherwise unremarkable. The polish is not possible without the friction created by the materials they’re immersed in.
Personal growth is messy. Recognizing your own flaws for what they are (and aren’t) and working to improve is hard work. There’s a ton of friction there, but that friction is intended to polish, and it’s required to allow you to really shine.
2020 provided a lot of friction. I don’t think anybody was able to avoid it, but you do get to choose what to do with it. Will you accept it for what it is and what it could help you become? Or will you do your best to ignore it, look for a distraction, and hope it eventually goes away?
I’m on a mission to make 2021 my best year ever, and I hope you are too. That will not be possible without acknowledging and working through the lessons that 2020 taught us.
By the way, we lean best when we learn from each other. Join us in the Rethink The Way You Sell Community, where we’re discussing this and other topics to better in sales.
Jeff Bajorek
Real. Authentic. Experience.
There’s a big difference between knowing how to sell and being able to. Jeff Bajorek spent over a decade in the field as a top performer. He’s been in your shoes. He knows what it will take. He can help you succeed.
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