The Increase Your Impact Newsletter is your Monday morning edge, created for growth-minded individuals. Each issue is a 2-3-minute read that delivers actionable strategies and powerful stories straight from my work with the world’s top performers. I 'd love to have you join my weekly email list and join thousands of others who are striving to get better, just like you.
IYI Newsletter: when the path is hard
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Approximately a 2-minute read Good Morning! There's a moment that happens in almost every serious pursuit, regardless of whether you're in professional sports, a student, an executive, or even at home. It's when the path becomes seemingly too difficult to bear. It's when you realize you underestimated how hard the journey would actually be. I once spoke with a professional athlete who was in the middle of this exact part of his path. He said things had gotten tough, and he wondered how much longer he was willing to keep going. I would have done him a disservice by trying to help him make the path easier. Instead, I asked a simpler and more direct question: "Are you going to quit?" He said no. His answer set the tone for the rest of the conversation. During hard times, once quitting is off the table, complaining stops being useful. It's understandable to be frustrated, but to channel your effort productively, ask yourself: what am I going to do about it? The Manure PrincipleAn analogy I like to use during these times is around cow manure. Not a glamorous image, but a useful one. The richer and more nutrient-dense it is, the better crops grow. They thrive because of manure, not in spite of it. The same logic applies to anything worth building in yourself. Growth as someone pursuing their dreams often runs directly through the stuff that stinks: setbacks, boring repetition, criticism, failure, seasons that don't go your way. That's not a detour from the process. It's the needed, critical part of the process. The struggle you're in right now may turn out to be the very thing that makes you capable of what comes next. Why the Hard Part Is the PointIf the path were easy, everyone would walk it. The difficulty you're facing isn't a flaw in the system; it's what separates the people who genuinely want something from the people who only like the idea of wanting it. The hardship you're going through functions as a filter. It reveals whether you're truly committed or just hoping for an easier path to getting what you want. So if you're in a difficult stretch right now, the instruction isn't to escape it or find a shortcut. It's to grow through it. Let the struggle do its work. The takeaway: When things get hard, the question worth asking isn't "why is this so difficult?" It's "what am I going to do about it?" Everything else is just noise. See you next Monday! Justin If you are interested in working with one of our process coaches or booking a keynote presentation for your organization, reply to this email, and we'll connect! If this email was forwarded to you and you want it to come directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe |
Justin Su'a
The Increase Your Impact Newsletter is your Monday morning edge, created for growth-minded individuals. Each issue is a 2-3-minute read that delivers actionable strategies and powerful stories straight from my work with the world’s top performers. I 'd love to have you join my weekly email list and join thousands of others who are striving to get better, just like you.
Approximately a 2-minute read Good Morning! Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about ambiguity. Not in some abstract, philosophical sense, but in the way it quietly shows up in everyday life when we are not completely sure what we are doing, why we are doing it, or whether we should fully commit to it. One definition of ambiguity is "a lack of exactness, " and that word, exactness, has been sticking with me because I’ve noticed how much hesitation and indecision can come from simply not making...
Approximately a 3-minute read Hello! When someone you care about is struggling, it’s easy to overwhelm them with corrections. I know it's coming from a good place. You want to help. You want them to get better. So you point out the missed detail, the poor word choice, the gap in preparation, or the pattern that needs to change. Then the conversation ends, but neither of you is sure what happens next. As a leader, one of your principal roles is to direct attention to what's next. Feedback...
Approximately a 3-minute read Hello! In 2019, I was standing in the outfield at Dodger Stadium during batting practice, talking with a player who was navigating some difficulty, both on and off the field. I meant to help him, but I wasn’t doing a very good job. My recommendations and advice were falling on deaf ears. He rejected every single one. I remember thinking, "What’s the point of even talking about this if you don’t want to listen?" Then, as a last-ditch effort, I asked him a...