#122 The Process is Brick by Brick

Day 40, 20 miles of lunges in.  Hard, but feeling good.  I was listening to some old Nipsey Hussle interviews the other day, and something about the process really resonated with me.  He said, "The process is like brick by brick.”  A lot of people already want to have the house built.  We all want it to be built fast.  It just doesn't work that way though.  You have to be okay with the process.  You have to enjoy the process.  You have to be consistent.

Brick by Brick

I've been out here setting up cinder blocks every day for a long time, which is ironic, because the building I just purchased is made of cinder block.  So, when I look at this cinder block building, I think about the hours of training, the hours of studying, and the hours of thought I’ve put into the process.  Hours and hours of pushing out the doubt.  Hours and hours of believing in my team and myself.

That's really what it feels like.  That's why it feels so right.  You have to seize the opportunity when it presents itself.  The timing is never going to be all the way perfect.

It’s Built

Even though I didn’t literally build the building, it felt like I built it.  We’re moving into a building with the help of an entire squad, not just me.  I think about every cinder block representing one day.  One day of at a time of delivered consistency.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s a business, career, or lifestyle, it truly takes a long time.  Believe me, I've been trying to skip these steps forever, or wanted to skip them.  I learned early on that you just can’t skip them.

Consistent Build

Everybody wants the wall built tomorrow.  We all do, right?  The problem here is that no wisdom is gained.  That's not where the pain comes from. It's not how it works.  

So, literally, as the walls are being painted and we're moving stuff in, it feels like a brick-by-brick process.  All the hardship, all the mornings, and all the work.  A culmination of cinder blocks to make up this 15,000 square foot building.

The Authentic Version

This is the authentic version of what I wanted to build the first time.  A lot of people view MusclePharm as super successful, but there were some major problems toward the end.  Some were within our control, some weren’t.  I’m not blaming anyone, it’s just what it is.

Things never felt all-the-way authentic to me because I wasn’t the CEO, I was a co-founder.  Dustin and I have always been authentic with Old School.  That’s just real, and that’s never going to change.  And now, with OSG and Max Effort under the same roof, we’re all the way there.  The result is an authentic super headquarters. 

I didn’t just snap my fingers and thing were magically different.  Many things had to happen to get to where I am now.  I now can say my vision feels right.  It’s not effortless, because there are many moving pieces, but it feels right.  It’s brick by brick.

The Next Block

That’s what it is.  The next stone on the wall.  The next block for the building.  What does that equal over years and years of perseverance and hard work?  The push, the goals, the small wins, the small defeats, the big wins, and the big losses.  What does it equal?  Reflect on that.

I fell in love with making cinder blocks.  I get up and build them every single day.  They’re stacking up.  Keep going and earn that building.