How to fail

I have spent the last 3 days repeating 8 processes over and over again on my lap top. 

Copy, click, paste, type, select, upload, select, upload - repeat. 

72 times in all. 

I could stop here. 

I could do no more and nobody would know except me. 

I have exactly the same amount of this work in front of me as there is behind me if I want to do a good job. 

It is tedious, mind numbingly boring work. 

I don't know if you've ever done flyer dropping but the inner dialogue is much the same. 

"I'll skip that house, they won't be interested."
"Wow this pile hasn't gone down much"
"This is taking forever, perhaps I'll spreading it over a few weeks"
"Who could I get to do this for me"
"They aren't that effective anyway"

But every time I've resisted that inner voice I have reaped the rewards. 

Each time I have done what's hard I've come out ahead because most people, most people lean away from what's hard. 

Further, every time I've listen to the voice and quit, telling myself some lame story. I haven't just quit that difficult bit. 

I've eventually quit the whole project because, 

Easy come,
Easy go. 

Low investment has always results in low engagement. 

Behind every failed business, and trust me I've ran a few, is a pile of 10,000 fresh flyers boxed up in the corner. 

10,000 potential customers the owner lost the heart to reach. 

So I'm spending 3 more days in the dirt, click, type, upload repeat - this time. 

Not that this will be the last time but the way we do one thing is eventually the way we do everything. 

Does it guarantee me success? 

Absolutely not, but if I ever reach a point where I have to pack up the business and try something else. 

I won't ever be doing it under the shadow of 10,000 flyers again. 

Ed Ley