The Hard Thing You're Avoiding Is Probably the Thing You Need to Do

Let's be honest.

Most business owners know exactly what they should be doing.

• The quote needs to be sent.

• The overdue invoices need to be followed up.

• The difficult conversation with a staff member needs to happen.

• The bookkeeping needs to be brought up to date.

• The website needs to go live.

• The business plan that's been sitting in a notebook for six months needs to become something real.

  
  

But instead, we find other things to do..

We answer emails.

We reorganise folders.

We convince ourselves we'll tackle it next week.

The problem is that next week usually turns into next month.

I've done it myself more times than I'd like to admit.

Why We Avoid The Hard Stuff

Most of the time, we're not avoiding the task.

We're avoiding the discomfort that comes with it.

We focus on everything that could go wrong.

• What if they say no?

• What if I get it wrong?

• What if it doesn't work?

• What if I'm not ready?

The uncomfortable part feels very real.

The reward feels a bit further away.

So we stay where it's safe.

A Simple Question That Changes Everything

When you're putting something off, ask yourself two questions:

How uncomfortable could this be?

Then ask:

How satisfying could it be?

Not successful.

Not profitable.

Not perfect.

Just satisfying.

Because often the things that create the most growth in business are uncomfortable for a short period of time and incredibly rewarding for a long time.

That phone call you've been avoiding might solve a problem that's been sitting in your head for weeks.

The price increase you've been nervous about might finally make your business profitable.

The system you've been meaning to implement could save you hours every week.

The business you've been dreaming about starting might change your life.

The Hard Thing Is Usually Smaller Than We Think

One thing I've learned working with business owners is that the hard thing is rarely as bad as we imagine.

The anticipation is often worse than the actual task.

The conversation lasts ten minutes.

The quote takes twenty.

The website gets published.

The bank accounts get reconciled.

The world keeps turning.

And afterwards you usually wonder why you waited so long.

My Challenge For You

This week, identify the one thing you've been avoiding.

The thing that's been sitting on your to do list for weeks.

The thing that makes you slightly uncomfortable every time you think about it.

Then stop asking yourself how hard it will be.

Start asking yourself how good it will feel once it's done.

Because more often than not, the satisfaction is worth far more than the discomfort.

And sometimes the biggest thing standing between where you are now and where you want to be is simply doing the hard thing.