Shop owners come to us for many different reasons. Some want to stay the best shop in their market and some simply want to increase their bottom line profit. Some want to develop a second in command so they can enjoy more free time in their life or prepare for retirement. This gives us the knowledge and skill to implement change; however, the one thing we have to have is your commitment. We have a we-do-it-with-you program that requires commitment and participation to accomplish your goals.
I was listening to our senior coach and team leader George Zeeks explain to a group of shop owners how he gets motivated to tackle his day-to-day challenges of helping shop owners grow their business. George suggests you take a page from his book in his own words. He started his conversation by saying, I wake up every morning at 4 a.m. Do you think that it is easy? Do you think there aren’t days when I just want to hit the snooze button and roll back over? Of course I do!
Like This Article?
Check out related training at
There is a plaque that hangs on my wall directly across from the foot of my bed. I can’t miss seeing it first thing and I put it there for good reason. It says just three little words, but they are three of the most powerful words to live by: passion, motivation, drive.
These three words will take you to places you never thought were possible. We all have things in life that drag us down emotionally or physically. Pain, fear or becoming comfortable and complacent. One thing is for sure — you will never get to where you want to go in this industry unless you harness your will with these three little words.
Passion
Find out what your passion is and pursue that. Whether it’s diagnosing a vehicle, driving sales at the front counter or working strategically on your business, turn your passion into reality. It is easy to give up. You will fail at times. You will have to sustain your passion for the long haul in order to succeed. Everyone has times when their passion starts to wane when the everyday grind gets them down. You have to find that place inside yourself where you want more. You have to love what you do in order to persevere. Do not ever let fear or complacency stop you in your tracks. Get your reward from the pain and struggles you will have to go through. Remember: Greatness is a choice!
Motivation
What is it going to take for you to keep your head in the game when you get knocked down? Find that reason and use it as your motivating tool. I challenge you! Don’t run from the pain. That is what’s going to lay your foundation for success. Way too often I hear “I will do it when I get motivated.” You can’t rely on that. Motivation starts with movement. Get moving and the inertia will keep you going. Once you’re going, the success will bring other success. The success, however minor, will bring the motivation. You will never get there by staying where you are, my friend.
Drive
Drive is the “I want to be better today than I was yesterday.” Learn something new every day and draw on your successes whether they are small or large. Your drive will determine if you’re going to make it, if you’re going to turn your dreams into reality. Or would you rather turn someone else’s dreams into reality? The thing is that you are going to do the work. No doubt. Whether it’s for you or your boss, you’re going to work your butt off. Now make the decision that you will be one of the few who guides their own life, who chooses their future. The choice is yours.
I heard a quote years ago that summed all three words up. “Effort will be your measure of success, but effort is between you and you alone.” You see no one can take that from you. If you are willing to put the effort in, then what you will get back in return will come threefold. I believe this in my heart of hearts.
I have heard every excuse in the book for someone not getting to the desired point in their life because of their skill set. I don’t believe that and I never will. There are many things in life I wasn’t born to be based on my natural talent. As the old saying goes, “Skill is developed through years of hard work and skill will trump talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
I can rattle off plenty of examples from the corporate world to the professional playing field, but I won’t. They’re not hard to spot. The point is how badly do you want to succeed? How badly do you want to get to the top and reach those goals you have set for yourself? Give me three goals, three reasons that would keep you moving forward. Draw on those goals that you have set for yourself as the strength you need to keep you motivated, passionate and driven!
Why are you doing what you’re doing? You have to understand that just wanting something is not enough. You have to dedicate everything in your body to achieve what you may have thought was not achievable. What will make you happy? Identify that, trust yourself and forget about what everyone else thinks.
Why does your life depend on it? Because it does! Take advantage of this window you were given. In a shop you have a labor inventory that ticks down second after second. How you use this inventory will determine how strong your labor margin will become. The same is true with life.
The things I have been talking about are all intangibles. The last intangible I will leave you with is fear. There are two facts about fear. The first is that I have found fear to be the biggest motivating factor in whether someone will succeed and grow or stay with the status quo. Second is that fear is something you create and because you can create it you can destroy it. You can make fear stronger than you could ever imagine or you can use passion to become your driving force. Your choice! Choose wisely.
So how badly do you want to succeed? The answer better be as badly as you want to breathe!
If you want to see if you are doing the things that you need to do to succeed, click on the link and get a checklist of the basic things you should be doing. Don’t be surprised by the length of the list, there’s a lot of stuff to do! For a limited time you can get the checklist simply by going to www.ationlinetraining.com/2015-02.
