Reilly Newman | Business is similar to life where the amount of effort we invest in the present is a momentary sacrifice that brings future reward. This investment takes discipline and sacrifice.
In business this is a matter of being proactive and thinking multiple steps ahead. To apply more energy and resource in the present is to be rewarded in the future. This means to practice discipline in your business by doing things correctly in your decisions. These decisions apply to all areas of your business: finances, hiring, sales, purchasing, marketing,… and brand.
As I’ve said before, brand is naturally (and should be) longterm thinking. Brand opens your mind and eyes to the future because it brings clarity. It reveals where you should be proactive and make deliberate decisions in the present to benefit your company in the long-run. This doesn’t come for free.
Brand takes investment. It takes effort, resources, patience, and… sweat.
Brand takes sweat so your business won’t bleed.
Your business is a living entity that has a lifeblood. This lifeblood can vary per company, but tytpically revolves around cashflow. When a brand is neglected in the present and the business lacks discipline, there will be blood in the future. The payment for brand neglegence is blood.
There will be blood…
When we choose comfort and ease in the moment, this carelessness is a decision to not practice disipline. It’s a moment where we vote (with our actions) to stay put because we are comfortable and feel safe. We decide to not look ahead and not adapt, but even let fear, anxiety, or worries make our decisions for us. Although it may not be the correct choice, it is a choice and every choice takes payment.
The payment for this unfortunate choice isn’t immediate, but a delay payment that appears on its own accord. It will give no warning and may come with interest. It doesn’t take credit, excuses, or promises. It only accepts blood.
Since the payment of sweat was bypassed for a future payment of blood, there comes additional pain. Although sweat is work and is one form of “pain,” the withdrawl of blood requires a totally different form of pain.
Choose Discpline Over Regret
The best militaries choose discipline to be prepared for future battles. They choose sweat in the now to avoid bloodloss in the future. An army wouldn’t stand a chance if they chose to not sweat and simply go to war for bloodshed. Most wars have been won by one side “bleeding out” the opponents. This strategy destroyed some of the world’s strongest miliaries from Hitler to Napolean. It was never a matter of going to war or not, but the proactive decision to sweat in the immediate in order to not bleed on the battlefield.
The discipline in the moment will feel difficult and heavy, but will weigh ounces compared to the future regret felt alternatively. As dramatic as this may sound, your company does go to war. Your business is at war for market share and purchase choices while your brand is at war for mind share and preference. There are many other forces playing against you and your greatest startegy is one of discipline because regret is left for those defeated in battle.
Sweat More
The more you sweat, the less you bleed. The more you invest on the front end, the less it will cost you in the future. We must keep this in mind and how brand will put you in this state of mind. To be always looking ahead and planning steps in advance. To predict the needs of your market and observe where the market is moving so you can create more value there and capture the value. Those who will bleed will sit comfortably and wait for the makret to shift in order for them to then react. This is a defensive posture that will lead to regret rooted in plenty of opportunity costs.
When you sweat more now, you will not only avoid defensive reactions with proactive moves, you’ll garner more opportunites. You will expand your likliehood of “luck” because you will be working towards these opportunites with sweat and displine. Not waiting for them to come to you….
Ultimately, the present pain of sweat and work is nothing compared to the future bloodshed and regret you will feel. It’s a matter of looking into the future and not allowing your worries to keep you from action. They will freeze you into paralysis and lead you down the path of comfort. This path is easy to slip into and the ride is smooth, but no ride is free and this path will ask for payment in full.
