Years ago one winter’s day I arrived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to speak at a major sales conference. Greeting me at the airport and serving as my host for the event was a retired offensive tackle for the famous “Steel Curtain” Pittsburgh Steelers (yep, back in the day when they dominated the football scene).
The freezing weather brought to mind a question I’d often had while watching football games such as the famous 1967 Green Bay/Dallas “Ice Bowl” and many similar games in which the Steelers participated.
First, understand that I’m a “cold-weather wimp.” While I grew up in Massachusetts, I got down to Florida just as fast as I could.
I asked, “How is that you guys can go out in sub-freezing, tortuous weather and play as though that’s not a problem at all?
He replied very simply and profoundly: “Well, when it comes right down to it, Bob, you can ‘gut out’ pretty much anything for a few hours.”
WOW.
Isn’t that the truth? (Of course, keep in mind the words, “pretty much” so please don’t write me about those few monstrous things that are not covered here. Please accept the great principle contained in his statement.)
Whether it’s a person with whom you cannot stand being in the same room for a meeting, a flat tire leaving you temporarily stranded, a report you must write, a flight, or even a football game in freezing weather (whether in the stands or on the field), you can pretty much gut it out for a few hours.
Or, even longer. There are times when the situation in which we are involved is going to take longer to work out. An excellent way of working past this is to “reframe it” by telling yourself you can “gut this out” for ________________ (then fill in the blank with as many hours, days, weeks, or whatever).
Another reframe is to break down the longer time into shorter increments, such as 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour or whatever helps you to be able to deal with what you need to deal with.
It’s with only the utmost respect, admiration and awe regarding the female of our species that I point out that those who have given birth know from experience that they have enormous reserves of willpower and endurance that can be tapped into when needed.
We all know that life is not always pleasant. Dare I say it can often times be downright unpleasant. And, while we want to stay positive and use positive language when dealing with any situation, sometimes the situation really, really stinks.
There is no-way that anyone but the most consciously developed people in the world (and I am certainly not one of them) can appreciate it “at the moment.”
At times like these, we need to accept the “yuckiness” and give ourselves the proper tools to work through it.
One of those ways is by simply telling us that we can “gut out anything” for (fill in the blank).
__________
Bob Burg speaks on “Endless Referrals” and “Positive Persuasion.” He is author of “Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales”, “Winning Without Intimidation: The Art of Positive Persuasion”, and co-author of “The Go-Giver.” Visit Bob at www.burg.com.
– Did you enjoy the article you just read? Do have any particularly hard experiences you’ve overcome that you’d like to share which others might find inspiring?
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