Quick question – are you a fan of Game of Thrones?
Yes, you say – sweet!
What about 00’s country music?
Not so much. Well, that’s okay.
How about 90’s rock?
Okay, now we’re getting somewhere.
Whether you’re a fan of GoT or country or rock music or none of the above, you’ll appreciate this story.
As the final season of GoT was coming to a close, the creators of the show partnered with Fender Guitars to create a collection of GoT-branded custom guitars. One unique guitar for each main family on the show, showcasing their house’s sigil.
And then, in a pure stroke of genius. They recorded 90’s rock legends and a country star playing the hauntingly, melodic theme song on the guitars. You can watch the full video here.
People like Scott Ian of Anthrax and Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. These were my heroes growing up.
So it was beyond cool to watch them 20-25 years after I was first introduced to these stars, jamming out and having a blast playing their rendition of the Emmy-award-winning score.
The best part, watching them talk, laugh and get into their groove at the very start. You can tell they’re enjoying themselves.
This isn’t just a project where they’re showing up to collect a paycheck.
They’re genuinely enjoying the moment and fully in their element.
Here’s the thing, this video could never have existed had these artists’ lives not spent decades honing their craft. Had they not climbed their way up over and over and over again.
And I didn’t even go into the years it took just to get the GoT custom guitar project come to fruition. You can read all about that right here.
Spoiler alert: those craftsmen spent years, if not decades, refining their work, too. Elevating their skill level so high that when a fun, once-in-a-lifetime project like this came around, they were thrilled to be chosen to contribute.
And that couldn’t have happened without putting in the time to move what they logically knew about creating from their heads and deeply embedded it into their bones.
That, my friend, could only come with time, with experience, in the doing.
So why am I telling you all this?
Because I see you. I see the lament. I see the resistance. I see the impatience.
Heck, I’m guilty of this myself.
Wanting to fast-forward to the very end.
The one where your biggest dreams have already come true.
You’re on stage speaking to 5,000 women, empowering them to revolutionize their worlds.
You’re crossing the line on hitting 8 figures in your business for the very first (and definitely not last) time.
You’re on the set of Super Soul Sunday, ready to bare your truth to Oprah.
And you’ve blitzed through the hard work that got you there.
It feels light and airy and a bit hollow.
Because it’s not reality.
Whenever we’re undertaking a project for the first time, whether you’re building your team, pivoting into a new market, pitching new partnerships, we want the entire process to be fun and easy, like it’s just pure play.
That’s not reality.
Yes, there’s a time to bring more fun and more play and more delight into your business.
But in order to drive change, to get a different result, you’re going to need to do something you’ve never done before. Which will feel super uncomfortable.
And, I promise you this, the faster you can move past the expectation that it should feel fun, fast and easy, you will move closer to your dream with more speed.
You think these guitar legends didn’t feel super uncomfortable hearing ‘no’ after ‘no’ over the years. Or that it didn’t feel pretty sucky playing to crowds of zero. Or that it didn’t feel crappy to be called a one-hit wonder.
I’m willing to bet the farm that all of those experiences in the journey to sitting in a recording studio, jamming out in support of one of their favorite tv shows, still felt cruddy in the moment.
Each time, though, they didn’t stop. They didn’t quit.
Heck, when one band disbanded, Tom Morello just found himself another supergroup to play in. And then he did it again a few years after that.
The point is – keep going. Put in the time. Do the work.
And many times along the way, you’re going to feel like you want nothing more than to experience the elation of the finish line.
But the gold really lies in the journey. In the actions. In moving what you know in your head and embed it in your bones through your hands.
That’s what informs who you are as a person, who you are as a business owner, where you need to grow, where you already shine.
Keep being consistent and working on it every day.
Gently remind yourself to be patient because it will happen for you.
And one day, you’ll be able to have fun and rock out with your favorite 90’s guitar legends, too.
See you on the road – I’m walking right alongside you.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash