Let me start by saying that I love to surf. Back in my younger days, I was able to qualify and had the opportunity to compete on the pro tour. At one point, I surfed Mavericks in Northern California which has waves in the 30 to 40-foot range. To illustrate, the waves are so big and heavy that you can’t just paddle out. I take this boat out and paddle to ride my first wave. After a few waves… I got hit by a monster wave. This wave dragged me 30-40 feet down. If you’ve never been hit by a wave and dragged down that far, you’re disoriented and scrambling for air, your lungs start burning and you’re very likely (like I was) tumbling in the water for 4 minutes or so. When I surfaced, everything was black and white from oxygen deprivation, my eardrums were blown, and my eye vessels popped. Then the next wave hit, and I found myself flying 30-40 feet in the air with my spine feeling as if it was cracked. I went back to the boat and, to be honest, I was scared and shaking. After about 20 minutes, and my friend’s encouragement, I went back out… and that was a defining moment in my life.

Why am I telling you this story?

In life, it seems as if everyone is trying to be something for somebody else. Whether that be your spouse, friends, or family. What you see in the mirror… how you view yourself… is what matters most. If you don’t understand who you are, then nothing else matters. Take the time to look in the mirror and get rid of that “if/only” thinking.

When you truly understand yourself and are open, you have much more control over your life and it fundamentally changes who you are. The best story of your life will always be your own. Of course, that will include your family and friends but learning to live your own story is the most powerful thing you can do.

I love to journal so that I can see on paper how I’m feeling that day and record my activities, feelings, and experiences. I also encourage my son to do the same. Do you know what you’re doing on a daily basis… what actions you’re taking?

If you work at a dealership, chances are that you work long hours. How does that affect who you are or who you want to be? Not only to yourself but also to how you control the relationships that you have with your friends, families and the other significant people in your lives?

I, personally, like the grind. Putting in the work, however, is part of that grind… what I call “the suck.” But you have to do the grind to get where you want to go. The grind is really your journey to success no matter how you define success. If you stop putting in the work, however, you will end your journey and, chances are, miss the grind.

In our business, the highs and lows are extreme. Especially in sales. Every month, every salesperson goes from hero to zero. It doesn’t matter how many cars they sold the month before.

Goals are important. They are waypoints in a longer journey. No matter what industry you’re in, what career path you took or where you are on that journey, every individual should appreciate that journey and their experiences more than any one thing.

If you want it, no matter what it is, you will have to sacrifice. Those sacrifices could be small or they could be monstrous. It only depends on you and how much you want to reach the end of that journey.

Pay the price for whatever goals you have set in your mind and you’ll see in the end that every moment… every experience… every sacrifice… is not only what made you WHO you are but got you to where you wanted to be.

And that, my friends, is how you succeed… even if it involves monstrous waves.