The last time our 4-year old nephew Kai was spending the night, I had a hard time convincing him to brush his teeth. I tried all the bribing, cajoling, and threatening I could think of until finally I said, “Okay, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, it’s up to you!”
Being the Mr. Smartypants that he is he said with twinkle in his eye, “The hard way.”
So I left him sitting on the bathroom counter – for five minutes – with no way to get down. That might sound mean or punitive, but I was tired of trying to figure out how to get him to comply. I figured a “time-out” would help.
When I went back to find him playing with the water in the sink, no worse for the wear, I thought “Great, he hasn’t learned anything.” But when he looked up he said, “The easy way” and proceeded to brush his teeth with no problem.
It got me to thinking, why when there is an easy way and a hard way, would this 4-year old choose the hard way? Why would any of us?
THE HARD WAY
After owning three businesses over the past 11 years, I can tell you plenty about the hard way. I chose it time and again.
The hard way consisted of:
- Wasting time trying to create the perfect business plan
- Hiding behind my computer/website believing I was building my business that way
- Spending months developing programs or products I didn’t know how to sell (or no one wanted to buy)
- Not charging what I was worth because I hadn’t “proved” myself yet
- Trying to be “all things to all people”
- Not hiring a coach who had done what I wanted to do
Now that we’ve been working with women business owners for the last four years, I see that I’m not alone! They too are consistently choosing the hard way. Why?
THE EASY WAY
Because the easy way consists of something outside of most women’s comfort zone…Selling!
Now be honest, did you just have a bit of disappointment when you just heard the easy way did not contain some sort of magical formula or newfound social media strategy that would bring you tons of customers ready to buy?
I’d understand it if you did. Most of us have been programmed to think negatively of sales and avoid it like the plague. And yet, it is the easiest way to get cash flow in your business – now!
Knowing that it’s such a painful topic for women, I’m going to spend the next couple of weeks breaking down exactly how sales is actually the easy way in business and how you can get comfortable with it.
If Kai could get comfortable with the hardest thing for a 4-year old to do (complying apparently) – there is hope for you too.
