A while back I decided that it would be really cool to be able to do a pull-up. You know, when you grasp hold of a bar above your head and pull your body all the way up. It’s an exercise basically designed for men and 11-year-old gymnasts. It requires a lot of upper body strength and not a lot of extra weight to have to haul up. I haven’t exactly gotten there yet, and it’s not for lack of trying. Sometimes I get really angry about my inability to do a pull up and I feel competitive with other women at the gym who have accomplished this milestone. Mostly what I feel is determined to get there myself one day.

 

One day as I was struggling in the weight room and feeling jealous of the younger, fitter, stronger gals I realized that this struggle is not dissimilar to growing a company. Most of us don’t get it on the first try, or even the first few. Most of us just keep showing up day in and day out—growing a little at a time until we reach our goals. We all look at our peers and competitors and feel jealous of their accomplishments. We can get down on ourselves about all of the things we can’t do and wonder just what it is that the others have that we don’t.

 

If we step back we can usually see that while it may look like others are progressing in areas we aren’t, we’re all on our own paths and working at our own pace. There is no substitute for stepping up each day and for focusing on our own strengths, rather than thinking about what others are doing.

 

As for the pull ups? Sometimes I have to take a break from the trying. I spend some time strengthening other parts of me before I can come back for another try. Like growing a business, it’s not easy, but I know it’ll be worth it in the end.