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I’m so encouraged by people who show desire and enthusiasm for success.  Images of material wealth are all around us, seemingly accessible (especially in the Washington, DC area) and almost easy to obtain.  Beautiful homes, fast cars, lots of nice gear.  These images are a mirage for many.

Those who seek these proxies of material wealth and success may have the perception that because they can see it….it must be easy or certainly obtainable due to proximity.  That’s BS.  Let’s be honest, do you really want it?   Are you willing to work or sacrifice enough to be in the top 5% of your field?  For most, it’s an emphatic “no.”

People like Mark Cuban, Gary Vaynerchuk, Tony Robbins and others, work so hard and put in so much effort – you’d feel like a car hit you if you spent a day in their shoes.  In some cases, they may be more talented.  But quite possibly their success skills were developed in the mid-morning hours while you were reading The Washington Post or sitting on the couch binge watching Netflix.   While you were doing that, the top 5% just finalized a new deal or moved it forward.

When The Moery Company launched pre-2010, I was consulting and working after hours.  It was difficult, I was tired and it frankly affected the quality of my work.  However, this effort began to test my thesis and challenge myself for the right stuff.  Sometimes, I question whether that kind of edge might be gone.  Maybe I’m not willing to give everything necessary to build the greatest association consulting firm in the world.

So I want you to be absolutely true to yourself today.  What do I want to be – the greatest salesperson in the world, my country, my town, my block, my company or my house?  Reflect on whether you want to be the best in your company, but giving the effort to be the best in your own home – of two.

You’re not fooling people when you say – you want to be the best association executive in the world, but are unwilling to make the sacrifices needed to achieve that.  It just doesn’t work that way.

If you want to be among the top 5%, then you must outhustle, outthink and outwork 95% of everyone else.  Or, you can just get lucky.

PS – And, it’s absolutely OK if you don’t want to be in the “Top 5.”  Just don’t claim to be disaffected, a member of the shrinking middle class or whatever excuse that’s out there.  Because most often we know where the buck stops. The image is in the mirror.

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All business leaders deal with fear – how and if, you address the issue is likely a major part of a successful, personal journey. I struggle (almost) daily to some extent with the notion of fear in my own job. For instance, I wanted to address some work issues on a holiday Monday last month, but I didn’t because I was afraid I’d offend someone who was taking the day off – and, that was just weak and stupid. I also have several projects I haven’t moved forward on because these include some actions and decisions that are uncomfortable for me to make.

I’m not lazy, just afraid.  But the consequences are the same…nothing is moving forward.

People these days are pretty hard-working folks.  If you don’t hustle, then frankly you’re stuck in a dead-end gig.  Intense sweat equity is a minimum to even begin a breakthrough. As a business leader – you know when things are slow or going badly. It’s not related to your lack of knowledge or hustle. You know what the problems are. Hey, if sales are slow, pick up the damn phone. Do something about it. The question is will you? I’ll be honest: the biggest obstacles in my life (business or otherwise) were more fear based than anything else. Not lack of skill. Not work ethic. I was scared.

Why? Fear of rejection. Fear of the pain it might cause. Fear of failure. Fear that someone might ridicule me. We are afraid of the unknown and things that most likely have never occurred and never will. As children, fear started with the boogeyman under your bed. But, there was no boogeyman. Ever.

We do the same thing in our adult lives. We just call it something different.  It’s an apprehension or anxiety around being judged, rejected, or failing. But, it’s all in our heads. If I called on a prospect and he laughed and said, “You guys suck; I’m never going to work with you,” no else would ever know that.  The worse thing that would happen is that I’m never calling that person again.  It’s a waste of time.  And, saving time is a good thing.

For example, as the CEO, when was the last time you cold-called a prospect? When we start to become successful, we set up systems like mass email campaigns, which make us less vulnerable to those one-on-one exchanges.  Or, we blanket our fear by putting systems in place that avoid them.

Let me apply this notion to the association game – we conduct association surveys, for example. I’ve done them. People want them. We are talking to a few associations right now who want to survey their members about how the organization is performing – and, there is value in the feedback – the good and the bad. But is someone in senior leadership or the CEO following up? Calling the member who didn’t renew to ask them why? Well, you should. Don’t hide behind the technology or the system, which allows you to avoid the tough conversation.

So, what are you afraid of? What’s holding you back? What’s undermining your ability to move forward? This message is as much for me as it is for anyone else. If we’re stuck, we need address the “why.” Put your fears in writing. Read them over. Rationalize the “why.” Hit them head on without the fear because there is no boogeyman under the bed.

If you found this content helpful, check out JP’s blog, “How to Navigate the World Today.”