Rick Torresen uses a barber's COVID struggle to show why most people can't win the day. He argues that small daily wins, grounded in your purpose, compound into bigger success. Mindset matters more than plans.
Welcome back to Timeout for Leadership, and thanks again for sharing a few minutes of your time with me and continuing to invest in your own personal leadership. You know, there's been a lot of talk lately about this new normal. I was at the barbershop today, and Kenny, my normal barber, was out of town, so I had Michelle cut my hair. Barbers and beauticians are one of the industries that have been hit really hard during this new Covid reality. You know, they're still struggling with limiting and crushing regulations. Michelle asked me a question. She said, do you think this is our new normal? So I asked her what she was specifically referring to, and she started telling me about all the restrictions and challenges, the mandates that were on her life and her industry and were limiting her ability to make a living. She showed me the rash on her cheeks because of the masks that she had to wear all day, every day if she wanted to work. And she told me about the clients she's lost because many of them are elderly and they are not allowed to sit in the salon to wait their turn. They've got to come in, sign in, and then go wait in their car or wait outside until their turn comes. For many, it's just too difficult. So I asked her another question. What are you most afraid of? Michelle explained that this was her life, her career, her passion, and how she took care of herself and her family. And then she said this. I just want to win one day. I feel like no matter how hard I try, I can't get a win. Now, this story breaks my heart. It's all too common for so many. The biggest challenge is that she had little control of her ability to win the day. You know, she's doing the best that she can, but there's so many factors and decisions that are affecting her livelihood that she has no control over her ability to win the day. It's largely out of her hands. Not all of our stories and situations are the same as Michelle's, but we all have a story. And like Michelle, many of us are struggling to win the day. Life like we've known it, it's changed in the normal that we long for. It's nowhere to be seen. But unlike Michelle, many of us have a lot more control and say over our outcomes. Yet we're still struggling to win the day. And if we can't win the day, how will we win the week or the next month or the rest of the year? This can lead to depression, withdrawal, and a desire to quit when we don't believe we can Win the day. We ultimately don't believe that we can win at life. See, there's no easy answer for this, and we're all feeling it at some level. But there is hope. There's something you can do. And it begins with your mindset and a commitment to focus on one thing. Win the day that's in front of you. That's it. Win enough of those and you'll win the week. Win enough weeks and you have a month. Win enough months and you have a year. You get the picture. You see, I believe that winning at life, it's all about the daily battles that we go through. It's not about winning every battle. It's about what? What do they say? Winning the war. Warriors understand that they'll not win every battle, but like prize fighters, they go into the ring knowing that they're going to get hit and maybe even knocked down. There will be losses along the but as long as we don't quit and we keep going, we keep getting up, we're going to win. Winning is not about crossing the finish line first. Winning is about crossing the finish line, period. So let's start winning the day. What does that look like? You know, many people think it's about building a plan or a routine. And yeah, that's important, but it's not the reason we win the day. Winning the day doesn't begin with building your plan. It begins with identifying your why behind the plan. It's about knowing your purpose and remembering your passion. Plans get challenged. Life happens. We don't always feel like working the plan. What keeps us going towards winning the day is knowing your why or your purpose. That's the first question you've got to answer. Hey, the truth is, I can't give you your why. You've got to dig into it. You've got to wrestle with it, you've got to discover it. But once you have it, you have your foundation and your motivation to keep going even when you don't feel like it. What is your why, your purpose, your passion? If you're not sure, then this is where you've got to begin. I'd encourage you to go back and listen to the timeout for leadership videos I did on discovering your core values and identity crisis. Well, listen, that's all the time we have for today, but I want you to join me next week as I'll share some real practical suggestions you can implement immediately to start winning the day which leads to winning life. I'll see you next week. My name is Rick Torresen, and I'm believing your best is yet to come. Join me next week as we finish the episode Winning at Life as I share some practical tips of how to win the day. For more resources or to become part of a growing community of transformational leaders, be sure to visit ricktorren.com.
