Wake up and Win
One of our more senior sales reps has a message for himself every time he opens up his phone. Whether it’s because he was a collegiate athlete or because he’s mentally conditioned this way, he’s primed to do something that makes him succeed every time he flicks on his phone from its idle state. I like this about him and I can sense that desire and urgency every time I talk to him. It’s infectious and I think it rubs off on people when he channels it in a way that motivates others to stay on top of things and keep moving forward. To me, this statement is a reminder of urgency. If you’re not attacking what’s in front of you with urgency and fervor then you’re letting life come to you vs. going after it proactively.
Monday mornings are critical to me. I usually spend Sunday night preparing for the week ahead and write myself a list of accomplishments from the week prior (wins), the things that went south (losses) and what I need to do to win the week ahead (next). Monday morning is the start of that ‘win streak.’ I have to wake up and win the week by getting into the gym before the world wakes up or else the week starts off with a loss. I’m not necessarily keeping score of every action like an OCD teenager but I’m laying down my markings of a winning trail on a week long hike.
This routine for me is a reminder of the ‘journey’ and I really don’t dwell on the destination. Little wins along the way of the journey make it all worth it and there are no more savory wins than the ones that happen in the morning.
How you wake up and attack the day is symbolic of your urgency meter. It’s one of the reasons why former Navy Admiral McRavel preached the need to make your bed immediately upon waking. Get up, show you care about the details, and get after it. When hiring, I look for scrappy urgency. I look for the incessant desire to take action and those that wake up and win. It’s the last week of the quarter (properly dubbed “LWOQ”) and today starts the final ascent up the side of the quarter mountain.
If we’re not waking up and winning every day this week then we never will.