85 - Tools

Full transcript here 👋

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.

The word for today is tools. I’ve learned over years of repairing things that the right tools can make a huge difference. If you’ve ever worked on a car, you’ve probably found that there are some nuts and bolts that you just cannot remove without the correct tool. I was trying to repair a leak under the roof rack of our car yesterday, and it looked so easy in the video. When I gathered my tools, I found that I didn’t have a large enough star bit to use my drill. I had a choice. Stop the task or improvise. Another thing I’ve learned about tools is that they can be an excuse. Here are some things we tell ourselves:

“I can’t record until I have a professional setup.”

“I can’t invest until I’ve taken a course.”

“I can’t start my business until I have an MBA.”

A couple days ago, I mentioned that Jon Acuff calls these secret rules, and they have the power to stop any potential progress. Yesterday, I found that an Allen wrench worked just fine as a substitute, even though it was a little more difficult. Don’t let the lack of professional tools stop you from moving forward. Instead, improvise with the tools that you already have and pick up better tools and practices along the way.

Today’s concrete challenge is to identify what you want to do and one tool that can help you succeed.

I’ll keep the music playing while you complete the following phrases, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.

I want to _____.

I can use _____ to do it.

Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who doesn’t let tools act as an excuse.”

Let me know if this made a difference in your day by leaving a comment in your podcast app or at concrete.win/today.

Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.