Stay Scrappy
Because everybody roots for the underdog
“Getting scrappy will get you to the top, staying scrappy will keep you there.” — Gary Ryan Blair
Here’s the cold, hard truth…most goals and dreams never see the light of day and end up in the graveyard.
That’s why my go to advice for creating something from nothing, for moving ahead when the competitive odds are stacked against you…and for fighting through any resistance force is to get and…Stay Scrappy.
It’s nice to be told that you’re smart, creative, resourceful or driven. But if you really want to offer the ultimate compliment to a successful person…the word you’re looking for is “scrappy.”
Why? Because while it’s one thing to have a big goal or crazy dream…it’s an entirely different thing to be the kind of person who steps into the arena, who adapts to change and finds creative ways to execute and achieve the goal.
Your success in any endeavor is forever linked directly to your heart, your will, your commitment…your ability to get and stay scrappy.
Whether you choose to call it being feisty, having moxie or demonstrating grit, the point remains…anything worthwhile will not come without a good, vigorous fight.
To be scrappy is to be infused with the spirit and soul of a champion….it’s an attitude that makes you unstoppable in the pursuit of your goals.
You cannot ever let fatigue, resistance, competition or obstacles make you a coward, nor can you ever expect to win without struggling, suffering or sacrificing. These are all essential elements of winning.
HOW SCRAPPY ARE YOU?
Here’s a few simple Yes or No questions to determine your scrappiness IQ.
Before answering…be mindful that behavior never lies.
- Would people describe you as being scrappy, unrelenting, and passionately committed to your goals?
2. Does your behavior demonstrate a feisty, relentless determination?
3. Is your resolve stronger and grittier than your fears and excuses?
4. Are you mentally prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes?
5. Do you have a history of out-suffering and out-hustling your competition?
Your answers to these questions reveal a great deal about your past, current and future success.
Being scrappy is a commitment and intention that stands in the face of obstacles, hardships, temptations, financial difficulties, failing physical health, broken relationships, and stiff competition.
By choosing to be scrappy, you are demonstrating no abatement of severity, intensity, strength, or pace, nor are you softening or yielding in determination.
The scrappy attitude is the winning attitude and the remarkable thing about life is that we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
What that means is…you can choose to be scrappy and relentless or you can choose to roll over, make an excuse and surrender to weakness.
- You cannot change your past.
- You cannot change the inevitable.
- You cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.
The only thing you can do is to play on the one string you have…and that is your attitude — your scrappy, unstoppable, unbeatable attitude.
Quitting is the path of least persistence. There will be times when a voice within you seems to shout out every negative, self-limiting thought you can imagine:
- “I doubt if I can continue.”
- “Why don’t you just quit and go back to safer ground.”
- “I don’t know if this will ever work.”
- “Who am I kidding?”
- “Why not just throw in the towel.”
Whenever that happens, dismiss your doubts, roll up your sleeves, double down on your efforts and get scrappy.
In fact, getting and staying scrappy is the solution to every problem and the gateway to every great success.
Back against the wall?
Looking for redemption?
Intense competition?
Big opportunity?
Don’t worry. Get Scrappy!
Your ability to fight for what you want, to get and stay scrappy is ultimately a physical, emotional and spiritual demonstration of how hungry you are.
Great adversity and setback is NOT, nor will it ever be the problem. It’s the inability to doggedly carry on despite them that is the problem.
That’s why your lifelong challenge is to stand up and deliver…to confront and overcome obstacles, to prove that your will and gritty resolve is bigger and more resilient than any obstacle or resistance force.
“Greatness loves the scrappy ones…it expects you to pay the price, to fight your way through obstacles, to get dirty and sweaty and stinky, and…to demonstrate just how badly you want it by out-suffering and out-hustling your competition.”
It’s extremely difficult to beat a person who never gives up…and there are very few obstacles that can withstand the relentless attack of one bold, aggressive move after another.
Why on earth put yourself through so much pain, sacrifice, and suffering?
The answer is as simple as it is profound…
Because if you can pass the big tests…if you can overcome the seemingly impossible…if you can deliver a knockout punch to fear and still keep moving forward onward towards your goals…you will inspire others and prove to yourself that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.
That’s why I always like to say…
Getting scrappy will get you to the top…staying scrappy will keep you there!
WHAT TO DO NOW?
Over the years, I’ve learned a few… secrets. The tips, tactics and strategies that have helped people to create a quantum leap in their performance and transform their life. Want to see ‘em? Go here and get my free manifesto.
You’ll find the tip about how to “10X Your Results” fascinating!
Gary Ryan Blair is creator of the 100 Day Challenge…a radical approach to goal achievement that shows people how to achieve 10X size goals by applying the methods and best practices of growth hacking.
