Why my grandpa sold his riding lawn mower

Earlier today, I was mowing my lawn, and thought of my first job:

Cutting my Nana’s (my great grandmother) grass back when I was a little chap.

She had a massive yard. It’d take a good 3 hours to cut, 4 hours if I bagged the grass while cutting.

And you know what?

A few years before I took over the role of cutting grass from my grandpa, they had a riding lawn mower. Instead of taking 3-4 hours to cut, you could cut it in about an hour. Maybe even less.

And yet, as soon as my great grandpa died (and my grandpa started cutting the grass), he sold the lawn mower.

Why?

Well, he was retired, for starters. He still owned his auto body business, but he officially retired from working in his 50s.

But the real reason?

He knew cutting the grass was too great a workout to skimp out on it completely by using a riding mower.

Why am I telling you this?

Because in life, it’s almost always worth it to exhibit “forward tilt.” Or, making things slightly harder than they need to be.

When things get too easy, you get comfortable.

Maybe you develop some extra chubbiness.

Maybe you start paying attention to your clients.

Maybe you start down a road of complete self-sabotage.

By making things slightly harder than they oughta be—whether when you’re cutting grass, writing copy, or even adding additional steps to sign up forms or checkout process (so you land the highest quality leads and customers)—you prevent the comfort monster from fvcking up everything you worked hard to build.

And you know what?

Selling the riding lawn mower could be a reason my grandpa is still here today.

And so it is with your business:

By making things slightly harder than they are, you add a layer of protection around you, your business, and your family.

Ponder this as you go ‘bout your day.

Maybe this means doing an extra rep in the gym.

Or writing an extra email for your business.

Or walking an extra block during your walk.

By doing this as often as you can, you’ll become that much stronger and more apt to handle if (or, when) shyt hits the fan.

Anywho:

If you need help making more money from your email list, chat with me here.

John