How I get up when the business is the last thing I want to think about
It’s 4:00 in the morning. The cuckoo clock goes off, screaming at you like a drill sergeant. It’s 25 degrees outside and the wind is howling like a hungry hyena.
What do you do?
That right there is the make or break point.
Not Every Day Is A Good Day
Let me be straight with you. There are days I don’t want to think about the business. Days I don’t want to get in the shower just so I can get to the office or meet someone for an appointment. Days I don’t want to look over the numbers. Days I don’t want to rebuild one more operating system that was built before AI and is now outdated.
Everyone has a bad morning. Sometimes you’re just tired and you want to stay in bed.
That’s not the problem. The problem is what you do next.
The Snooze Button Is A Sales Pitch
Every morning, something is trying to sell you. The warm bed is selling you five more minutes. The snooze button is selling you “later.” And later is right where you put all the other things you’ve been putting off.
So the hard days aren’t really about getting pumped. They’re about who closes the sale. You, or the blanket.
Your Word Is The Only Thing You Were Born With
Say you told your buddy you’d meet him at 4:30 to work out. The alarm goes off. You hit snooze. He’s standing out in the cold waiting on you.
Then what? Do you feel good about it? No. You avoid his calls all day long.
Now ask yourself: is that how you treat your customers? They want to buy something and you’re too tired to get out of bed. You committed, then you backed out. What the hell, man.
And then you want people to feel sorry for you? Sorry is right. That’s exactly what they think of you.
You came into this world with one thing. Your word. If you’re too tired to keep it, why would anyone take a chance on you?
The One Time I Didn’t Show
I’ve lived this every day of my life. And the one time I failed to meet someone after I gave them my word, I felt like a loser.
My inner circle tried to console me. “It happens to the best of us.” “Don’t worry, we all have a hiccup.”
That was like needles being pressed into my ears.
I didn’t want comfort. I wanted to never feel that way again.
There Won’t Be A Third Date
On the flip side, when someone stands me up over and over, I don’t call it a hiccup. I call it what it is. Lying. And who wants to be around a liar?
Let someone stand me up at 4am more than once. I promise you, there won’t be a third date.
Call me an ass if you want. But you’d do the same.
I’ve made more friends in my life than I can shake a stick at. Not because I’m some kind of networking king. Because when I find someone who can commit like me, I’m there for him. And when they fall off and their true colors shine bright, I drop them like the bad excuse-making habit they are.
Soft Serve VS Concrete
We’ve got more soft serve in life today than concrete. The more conveniences we get, the lazier we get.
Give me concrete every day. Concrete is hard. Concrete kicks your butt if you try to lay down on it. It puts blisters on your feet and blisters on your hands. It builds calluses.
And calluses tell the story. They show real dedication. They tell people you don’t give up.
Soft blankets and earplugs? Who are you kidding? You’re not going to make it big in life cuddled up to your blanket, ignoring your alarm clock.
It’s Not Motivation. It’s Drive.
Here’s what nobody tells you. The guy who shows up at 4am isn’t motivated. He crawled out of a warm bed because he gave you his word.
That’s called drive. And you find it at 4:30 in the morning on a cold winter day, when even the roosters don’t want to get out of bed.
That’s when you find out who’s made of steel and concrete and commitment. And who’s like most people. Average and ordinary.
Me? I don’t use an alarm clock. Yeah, you read that right. Ask me to meet you at 4am and I’ll see you ten minutes early. That’s not old Gabe showing off. That’s just who I am. Not the guy who talks a big game.
And yes, I get tired. The harder I push to be successful, the more tired I get. Not because I’m lazy. Because it’s hard work.
Be That Guy
You know the guy. The one who shows up on a Tuesday at 4am when it’s 25 degrees and the wind is howling. The one you call when your car breaks down on the side of the road, because you know he can fix it.
Everybody admires that guy. Why? Because nobody really likes the average and the ordinary.
So why be that way?
Commit to being better than the people you hang around with. Show up every day, not just when you feel like it. When you get to that level of commitment, you become the one everyone looks to. You’re the beacon. You’re the envy. And you’re the one growing your bank account, your wealth of friendships, and your life.
Get there, and you’ll never think twice about staying in bed because it’s a balmy 49 degrees outside.
So here’s the question. Is life selling you? Or are you selling your life to be the most awesome one on the planet?
Get your mind right, and you’ll get your life right.
Be great. Because so few are today.
If this one hit home, I’d like to hear from you. Whether you run a business, want to build one, or just want to talk about what showing up really looks like, reach out to me directly. I’ll get back to you. I don’t stand people up.
