A War Of Attrition
All it takes is persistence.
NEVER ZERO // ISSUE N0. 027
Success Is A War Of Attrition
I have learned many lessons in my life (and I am sure I will learn many more), but one thing that has become clear to me is that success is rarely about talent, genetics, or even the circumstances you find yourself in.
Instead, I’ve learned that success is about how well you handle rejection. It’s about the resilience to continue when most would have given up.
Consider the stories of those who've made history. The stories we remember are never about easy wins. The stories we remember are always about remarkable people who have faced defeat and said, "Let's go again."
These individuals understood something crucial, and it is something Gabe and I have discussed on the podcast many times now: success is primarily a war of attrition.
For instance, take the countless rejections faced by now-celebrated authors, the athletes who were once deemed too weak, too slow, or too small, or the entrepreneurs whose ideas were laughed at. Stephen King’s award-winning Carrie was rejected 30 times by various publishers, Michael Jordan was cut from the varsity team in high school, and Tom Brady was drafted after 198 players in the 2000 NFL Draft.
After I won the CrossFit Games in 2008, I spent the next five years battling before I ever got back on the podium. All these stories share a common thread. They share a relentless refusal to accept defeat as something final.
This principle is at the heart of TRAIN HARD.
Life is going to throw you plenty of setbacks and rejections. You will get injured, life will get busy, you’ll train for a competition or a race and underperform, you won’t get the raise or the promotion you were expecting, the business idea you have won’t take off, the podcast you start will fizzle out, etc.
These things are inevitable. I’ve faced my fair share of setbacks and rejections in life, but I always need to remind myself that only I have the power to let those moments define me.
I hope this email serves as that same reminder for you.
By now, we are deep enough into 2024 that most people are probably facing their first setback of the year. You started January with a plan, but by now, life has probably thrown you a curveball or two.
What are you going to do? Throw your hands up in the air and let a setback or a rejection define you. Or will you keep moving forward and never let your momentum hit ZERO?
TRAIN HARD
P.S. I want to start sharing and highlighting the inspirational stories of the incredible people who make up the TRAIN HARD Community. Whether you’ve been using the App or not, I want to hear from you. Use the form below to share a little about yourself and your journey with TRAIN HARD so far. We are going to start sharing some of these stories in the newsletter moving forward so that we can all inspire each other to be the best versions of ourselves. I am looking forward to hearing your stories!
Who knows? There might even be some cool giveaways for people who end up participating.
YOU ARE THE AVERAGE OF THE PEOPLE YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH.
Share this knowledge with those in your life who are also driven to TRAIN, PROTECT, PROVIDE.
Together, we can build a brighter future by helping each other become the best version of ourselves.
