Three ways to identify trials in your shop and get through them

Have you ever gone through a very difficult period or time at the shop? You know, that time when nothing seems to go right — customers are upset, employees are disgruntled, sales aren’t where they’re supposed to be, and so on? It’s very possible that you could have been going through a trial. Let’s listen to Head Coach Mike Haley explain how we help ATI members implement action steps to overcome trials successfully.

Trials are various difficulties, hardships, or problems, especially those that test one's courage, endurance, or resolve. How do you handle trials, disappointments, hardships, and curveballs? Are you aware you are in a trial? Do you ignore them? We all deal with different types of trials, sometimes many at once. There are relationship trials, marriage trials, physical trials, financial trials, business trials, and so on. I believe you’re always in one of three stages of trials: coming out of a trial, currently in a trial, or getting ready to go through a trial.

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If you want to simplify going through trials, just go to www.ationlinetraining.com/2019-12 and download the worksheet to find out how to embrace trials as a learning experience and come out better for it.

Nobody likes trials, and nobody invites trials, but there is definitely a purpose for them. Most are due to decisions we made that differ from our values, or in other words, poor decisions. These trials cause a lot of pain and heartache. They sometimes appear out of nowhere, and believe it or not, are not caused by us directly. But we are all going to have trials and we need to face them head on and not bury our head in the sand.

We’ve got this weird love / hate relationship with trials. We love to watch other people go through trials, but we hate to go through trials ourselves. Think about how often we watch people go through trials all the time on tv. Netflix has all kinds of series on people going through different kinds of trials. We even have the show “Naked and Afraid” — a show about couples that are dropped off in the middle of the jungle naked and we watch them try to survive! In this case, naked isn’t a good thing. Then, there’s Facebook. Someone submits a juicy or controversial post. You read it, then go and get a bowl of popcorn, and just sit back and watch all the comments firing back. We like watching trials because we know it produces something. It produces a winner or a loser — a person that either meets our expectations or exceeds our expectations or falls below our expectations. You’ll find out if their character stands true, or are they all show and no go?

When it’s our turn, we want nothing to do with trials. But we need to understand that there’s a purpose in the trial. If you don’t first see the purpose, you’re never going to motivate yourself through it. To help you out, I’m going to give you the three primary purposes of a trial.

Trials bring revelation

A trial will prove to yourself and others that what you believe is truly in you and not just something you say. For example: when an engineer builds a motor, he will test that motor to ensure it can fulfil its purpose. He will put that motor on a stand and hook it up to a dynamometer. He doesn’t just break it in, he pushes that motor to its limit and beyond to ensure that it will deliver what’s promised. Afterwards the engineer can state with confidence that his company sells motors that are built to last. Likewise, the trials that we go through prove to us that we are too.

Trials bring refinement

Think of refinement like a trainer. I wish we could get bigger, faster, and stronger by just wishing it. I would love to get all my vitamins and minerals by just looking at a picture of vegetables. I wish I could go to the gym and sit on a bench and yuk it up with the guys and then leave fifteen minutes later all “swolled” up. It just doesn’t work that way. A few years ago, I went to a trainer. He was a handsome man that was positive and energetic and who motivated me that I could change, so I signed up with him. I remember feeling excited that I was going to lose weight and get bigger and stronger. I remember going home and telling my wife I have found the guy who is going to take me to the promised land. The next morning after my first workout I was discouraged and defeated after he put me through the paces. I found out quickly I was never going to get the results without doing the work. You must put in the work and break a sweat. Trials are a process and you must go through them. It’s also done to course-correct us.

Trials bring reward

So now that your beliefs are tried and true, you get to enjoy the rewards of being a trial survivor. As I was writing this article, a show on Navy Seal training was playing in the background on the History channel. Ironically, the timing was perfect in proving my point. The sole purpose for Navy Seal training is to find the top one percent of service men and women who can serve within this elite special operations force. So many soldiers think they can go through these trials to become a Navy Seal. The trials are designed to test whether they can do the physical, mental, and emotional work to endure the toughest circumstances. All the while, the instructors are trying to get them to surrender and ring the bell. They tell them: “Just ring the bell and we’ll get you a warm shower, a hot meal, and a comfortable bed . . . Just ring the bell and it will all be over.” The soldiers that truly believe that they are meant to be a Seal try to push themselves past their full potential. The soldiers next to them, while doing the drills, are saying “Don’t you dare ring that bell . . . you can do it; you have what it takes.” Finally, soldiers that don’t ring the bell get the rewards. They are now the best of the best. They know they received the best training in the world and gain instant respect and gratitude in the world because they are a Navy Seal.

Hopefully this advice helps with clarifying why it’s important for you and your business to go through trials and they shouldn’t be ignored. Recognize that there are reasons for the trials, and if identified correctly, there’s a reward at the end. Remember, our instinct is to ignore or deflect them, but doing so won’t help your employees or customers, nor will it make you the best repair shop around, or a true leader that people will follow. You must truly believe that what you are going through is for the very best. It’s only when you test and refine your beliefs, that you can build confidence and gain a sense of peace. You can then rest your head on the pillow at night knowing you have done the work necessary and feel good about the trial you just went through.

When it comes to going through trials or hard times in general, do you face them head on or rather try to ignore or deflect them? If your answer is the latter, you’re missing out on an opportunity for growth. If you want to simplify going through trials, just go to www.ationlinetraining.com/2019-12 and download the worksheet to find out how to embrace trials as a learning experience and come out better for it. It will give you a new perspective by helping you identify: