Recognizing my tribe is now full of seriously driven women entrepreneurs who have NEVER been exposed to “hunting” and/or are quite appalled by it, I want to dive into a few details that we’ll ALL be able to relate to before we click away.
While the picture above is MY girl hunter, I want to take you back to my childhood… where I was (admittedly) quite emotional about the hunting culture that defined the winters in my home.
HUNTING FACT: “The hunt” started early. Like, early, even for ME and I am an infamously early riser.
My dad woke up while it was nowhere close to sunrise.
It was COLD, dark and early.
Rain, sleet or snow… “made no never mind.”
All of this happened regardless.
He’d get dressed, go out back and load up the dogs.
(Two by two, into the truck. NOT a fast process.)
He’d then hop into the truck, where he and my brother would drive for 2 hours to reach their hunt club and they arrived while it was still dark.
BUSINESS RELEVANCE: There is a certain commitment, a certain level of determination inherent in the hunt.
This wasn’t a passive hobby that happened if all the conditions were favorable. My Dad worked two full-time jobs when I was growing up. I know he got tired. I know that on many Saturdays, 3:30 AM EST came early. I also know he didn’t miss a Saturday.
Question to you: If you were to honestly assess your own level of determination in business… how impressive is it?
When it comes to your business, are you investing in yourself? Are you waking up early when you need to? Are you willing to do YOUR VERSION of facing the elements of rain, sleet, or snow… on repeat, regardless? Or do you check the weather on your phone, pull up the covers and hit snooze? Are you going where your BEST CHANCES of success are? (Or is that too far to travel?)
Speaking of, meet me in Dallas. This is a chance for Women Who WOW from all over the globe to come together, under ONE roof, in ONE hustle hotel, for two days to sharpen our ax, plot our success path, and connect with others who can elevate our vision, deepen our resolve and expand our reach. Register here. Moving on…
HUNTING FACT: For a couple of FULL hunting seasons, my Dad never fired his gun. #noaction #noreturn #disappointment.
I kid you not… there were full hunting seasons, often 11 Saturdays, where my Dad never even SAW a deer. All of this work, all of this consistency, all of this hustle and not even a GLIMPSE of a CHANCE for a return.
Now, as a kid, I celebrated these seasons. I was the hunter’s nightmare. I’d remove salt blocks, I’d be loud in the woods and scare off the deer. I’d cry and ask my dad why he was a “murderer” of deer. I’ve since made peace with hunting, as long as we eat what we kill, and we always do. But, back then… total nightmare.
While I was celebrating these fruitless seasons, I never considered how frustrating it must have been for my Dad.
BUSINESS RELEVANCE / QUESTION TO YOU: How do you deal with frustrating seasons? Do you give up? Show up less often?
Not once did I see my Dad not take the dogs, saving himself about 30 minutes in the morning. Not once did I see my Dad go in late, or just catch the afternoon hunt. DESPITE not seeing what he wanted, he showed up regardless… exactly as he had during the seasons when he got MORE than his fair share of wins.
In business, even a frustrating/disappointing DAY can have us pulling back, looking down, slowing down our hustle… and — if you are to create the ULTIMATE FREEDOM & MAXIMUM PROFIT you deserve, you have GOT to show up regardless. You’ve got to mind your mindset. You’ve got to keep at it.
Here’s the truth, powerfully illustrated in this quote by Dan Kennedy… about attending his next event:
“Your decision… is about much, much more than attending or skipping some seminar. It is a decision about the legitimacy and seriousness of your “want to win.” About the level of determination of your hunt…. The trouble is, you can never know the cost of skipping. Because my hunt was very determined and my seriousness about winning very profound, I have very very, very rarely skipped the places, events, or fields of possible opportunity relevant to my business activities.”
So, how SERIOUS is the level of YOUR determination about your success?
