A few years ago I received a text message from a dear friend and mentor of mine which read as follows:
“Adam, always stay hungry, hard, and humble. Just be you.”
Although I don’t know Ted’s initial intent or perceived meaning, that message – those compilation of words – made a profound difference and impact in my life. And I’ve since given my own meaning to each of those words.
1) Hungry. In life, when you’re hungry, you eat. You don’t wait for a few days, or until it’s convenient for you. You eat because your body needs it.
Your dreams need fed, too.
You can’t do things when they’re convenient for you. You can’t do things when they’re easy or when you feel like it. Instead, you must feed your dreams EACH and EVERY DAY.
Dreams are fed through your resilience, through your work ethic, and through your commitment. You see, a lot of people say they have dreams they wish to achieve, but at the first sign of difficulty, they want to give up. Or, at the first sign of success, they ease off.
If you’re TRULY hungry – you NEVER stop. You’re so obsessed about your product, idea, business, or dream, that in fact, you may forget to eat!
2) Hard. I define hard, not as being a “tough” guy or girl, but instead, by being tough when things become challenging. As the old adage goes,
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
Can that be said for you? When things become tough in life, do you face it and get going to work, or do you get going by running away from it?
If you want to reach that next promotion, if you want to build your business from the group up, or if you want to accomplish any of your dreams, you have to stay hard! You have to be unbreakable. You must willing to face every roadblock, challenge, and obstacle that may lie in your path. And when adversity hits, you mustn’t be wavered in your pursuit.
People will judge you, laugh at you, and ridicule you. But how you respond to those judgments and adversities will make all the difference.
3) Humble. I’m a big believer that if you have to tell somebody how good you are, you aren’t that good.
Being humble means that you’re self assured. It means that you’re comfortable with who you are and what you’re doing. In my experiences, I’ve come to find that the people who’ve been quick to tell me how “great” they were in a specific area, were not so great after all. People try to shield their insecurities, uncertainties, or lack of knowledge through their arrogance.
Arrogance inherently interrupts your ability to effectively deliver. It disables your authenticity.
People buy authenticity. They buy humility. No matter how “great” you think you are, always stay humble.
Just be you!
In a world where everyone wants you to be what they want you to be, the most courageous thing you can do, is be yourself. Nobody knows you, like you know you. Therefore, it’s imperative you not allow situations or certain experiences to change you. If people don’t believe in your vision, their opinion does not have to be your destiny. Surround yourself with people who believe in you, uplift you, and inspire you. Always stay true to yourself, trust your gut, follow your heart, and know that it’s OK to be YOU!
Comments are closed.