I met Austin when he was a freshman defensive back. He smiled too much and needed to eat a few cheeseburgers, but I liked him. He had a competitive spirit and he wasn’t afraid to work hard for what he wanted.
After football, he was hired with the furniture company as a sales rep. He made a few people uncomfortable because he was unforgiving in the way he pursued success. He didn’t make apologies and he didn’t slow down for everyone to catch up, he just worked.
Fast-forward a few years and Austin is running his own store. He has grown tremendously and he is still working hard as ever for what he wants. He was asked to write a piece for the company and he ran it by me beforehand. I told him it was excellent advice on how to get out of a rut and I thought my audience would enjoy his words of wisdom.
Enter Austin.
If you haven’t seen the movie Happy Gilmore, literally stop reading now. Take the day off and go home and watch it. It is one of my all-time favorites. In it you have a guy who has always dreamed of and has worked his whole life to be a Hockey player. The only problem is that he sucks at Hockey.
One day though, he discovers he’s pretty good at hitting a golf ball really far. There is no other aspect of golf that he is even remotely decent at, but this old man named Chubbs comes alongside him and teaches him how to play the game. His biggest obstacle was himself. He had a horrible temper and when he got pissed it literally controlled him and every aspect of his life. Chubbs’ best advice was for him to find his happy place.
Find what you are good at and run with it
There are no two people reading this article that are the same. We are all uniquely talented and gifted.
“Men only take their needs into consideration and never their abilities.” – Napoleon
Explore your talents, cultivate them and use them to their fullest potential. This doesn’t have to be work. If one of your skills is hospitality, find ways to use it at work, but maybe do something outside of your normal daily life like having your team over for Sunday dinner and cooking and caring for them.
Identify the challenges that hinder you
Maybe they are intrinsic or maybe they are external. For Happy, external challenges revealed an internal conflict. Maybe you are spread too thin. Take some time to develop the people around you. Give them the tools and training to be able to handle some of the issues that are weighing you down. Maybe you absolutely hate handling conflict. It’s even possible that you are overly critical and don’t praise those around you enough. In this sometimes chaotic and hectic business we get overwhelmed by the challenges we face daily and we let those challenges affect us in negative ways that seep into and infect other areas of our lives.
Allow people to speak into your life and point you in the right direction
Welcome accountability. In the words of New York Times Best Selling Author Jack Canfield “After you’ve decided what you want, you have to believe it’s possible and possible for you, not just for other people. Then you need to seek out models, mentors, and coaches.” Figure out where you want to go and then allow someone who has been there before to point you in the right direction.
I hope this year is both productive and fulfilling for you all. Find your happy place!
