Are You Crushing It or Getting Crushed?
Mar

I’m going on the assumption that you’ve read Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk, which discusses finding your passion, turning it into a business, and living it with your heart and soul. Sounds great, right? Of course it does.
But how many of us can honestly say that we do that? Very, very few.
It all sounds so simple, right? Figure out what makes us the happiest and then figure out how to earn a living from it.
There are a few major problems with this:
- Most people will never take the time to discover their true passions or their purpose in life. They will accept mediocrity and live an “average” life.
- Once your passion is discovered, then what? Of those who have figured out how they want to spend the rest of their lives, a small number will actually take action on creating that life.
So in all reality, very few of us will ever get to say that we are Crushing It!
I’ve lived the last 39 years of my life without crushing much of anything. I’ve allowed my fears, misbeliefs, and insecurities lead me through life. Until now.
Are YOU Crushing It?
Don’t get me wrong here, I am not jumping on the Gary Vee train and preaching that everyone should be crushing it, because that’s not realistic.
Not everyone was meant to an live extraordinary life. But maybe YOU were.
The reason I am so passionate about this subject is because I have wasted so many years stuck in a cubicle, trading my precious time for dollars, and being unhappy.
Life was NOT intended to be this way.
If you have lived your life this way, I urge you to take a close look at your life. Do you want to be doing what you are now for the rest of your life? There is a strong possibility that your answer is “no”.
My question then is “what are you doing about it”? If you answer “nothing”, you are getting crushed. If you aren’t doing anything to change your situation, then NOTHING is going to change. Simple.
Life Does Not Make Exceptions
For years, I thought that something great would fall into my lap because I was special. Hell, I’m not just a regular guy, I’ve got a lot great things going for me. I’m different. I’m unique. Guess what? I was wrong.
The only thing that fell in my lap was a enormous heap of responsibility. The day has yet to come where I wake up and everything is wonderful. I still wake up to a miserable job, a mountain of debt, and too little time.
I can literally see my life passing before my eyes every day.
If we don’t take at least one small step towards living our dreams, then we have wasted that day. We will never get it back. It’s scary…very scary.
It’s Time To Step Up Your Game
If you’re leading a life of quiet desperation, you can and must stop.
Please do not waste another minute of your life doing something you don’t like. You may think that you can’t change, but there is always a way to get everything you want.
If you’re thinking “easy for you to say”, it’s not! Given my current situation in life, I have a great of adversity to overcome in order to realize my dream of having a highly successful online business.
But you know what, that doesn’t mean shit! I will not accept my life as it is any longer and there is no reason for you to either.
Ask yourself this question- “do I want to be average”? If you answered “yes”, I feel sorry for you. However, you didn’t answer yes did you? No, you want to be exceptional. Well, then what are you doing that will make you exceptional?
I can tell you first hand that punching a clock, passing time, and waiting for retirement is NOT exceptional. It’s meaningless.
How To Go From Getting Crushed To Crushing It!
Let me be clear about one thing, I am not Crushing It right now. I’m still working in a meaningless job. What I can offer however is my strategy to get out because I have one. Just because I haven’t escaped the grind just yet doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to.
Here is an action plan to Crushing It:
- Understand that you in fact, do need to get out of your current situation. If you are content in an average, dead end job, I feel sorry for you. But so be it. Not everyone wants to change. If you love your job, terrific! If you aren’t happy, then you need to really think about your making a dramatic change.
- Decide on what exactly you want to do. If you can figure this out, you are ahead of the majority of people out there. Most will never really know what they truly want to do. Don’t settle for just anything. Discover what makes you tick.
- Create a game plan. If you are going to make a major change in your life, you need a strategy. Without one, you may be drifting through life and hoping something happens. Hope does not create change. You do!
- Take action. If you have gone through the first 3 steps and stop here, you are not alone. Many will fall by the wayside here and fail to take action. Why? Fear, indecision, procrastination. These things are easily overcome with belief, faith, vision and a positive attitude.
- Once action is taken, it’s time to build momentum. If your true desire is to build your business/brand, then you need to pull out all the stops. You need to be doing everything and everything to get your name out there (in a good way of course). Market the shit out of yourself until you are completely sick of reading your own name. Online business is tremendously competitive, so you need to be a rock star. Momentum is gained by being just that.
- Start dominating. You need to be fantastic at what you are doing. Good isn’t going to cut it. There are millions of good blogs out there. You need to be the best in your niche. If you can’t be the best, then find a way to be different. The world does not need another copycat.
- DO NOT GIVE UP! Chances are that you will be inclined to quit once or fifty times when you first start building your business. That’s normal. It’s probably going to be the hardest thing you will ever do, but it’s worth it. Remember, you are building YOUR dream, not your bosses or some other persons. Find a way to stay motivated. Keep a picture of your boss on your wall if you have to. You don’t ever want to go back there , do you? Me neither.
This demonstrates a simplified process of getting from where you are now (The Grind) to where you want to be (Grind Free).
All I can say is that if you aren’t happy with your job, you can change it. Don’t ever feel like it’s your fate to be in an office filled with bad bosses and meaningless work. Life is what we make of it. Make yours amazing!

Harriet`
I haven’t read the text your refering too but I think I’ll seek it out now and have a read. Even though I am not involved in buisness I find this blog post really interesting, hopefully I can apply some of your logic here to my life!
Steve
Harriet,
It actually a great book. It motivational and inspiring. If you have a chance, look up Gary Vaynerchuk and watch some of his YouTube videos. Talk about having a passion!!
Harriet`
Ah I didn’t realise he had youtube videos as well! I’ll definatley give them a watch 🙂
Steve
Here is one my favorites
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhqZ0RU95d4
Stella
Really motivating post, Steve. I agree that we should all do our best and “crush it”. Being complacent makes mediocrity the norm. Not a good thing.
I also appreciate your honesty when you point out that maybe not everyone is meant to crush it or be extraordinary. Truth is, you can’t be extraordinary without others being average. In an ideal world, extraordinary would be the new average. What’s important is that we push ourseleves and not settle for less than we’re capable of.
Steve
Thanks Stella,
This is exactly how I feel. Sadly, not everyone will live exceptionally. Many will be content being average and not seeking to live a grand life. You make a great point about not settling for less that what we are capable of. How many of us live up to this though? I know I am certainly not.
I honestly believe that we can accomplish just about anything if we put our minds to it. The problem is that we aren’t doing that. We are living well below our potential.
Lance
Once we start “crushing it” it’s almost impossible to give up ! Even if we have to hold our day job to pay the bills nothing can hold a passionate soul back. It is possible though to give up before we’ve even started… That’s the hard bit… Deciding to trust our passion. Like the Nike slogan says… “Just Do It”
Steve
Hey Lance,
The few times I have felt like I was truly crushing it, it was an incredible feeling! I can imagine what it will be like when I am living it!!!
You’re right, no matter how lousy the job, when we have a burning passion for something, even that won’t stop us.
Anthony
I know some people struggle with “finding” their passion. Or at least a profitable one!
I know quite a few IM’ers / bloggers who just can’t decide which way to go. Which niche to choose, etc.
I know I did!
I think it’s worth noting that passions aren’t always found. You can “grow” a passion as well. Obviously, you have to have some interest the topic.
Personally, I notice the more I “get into” something, the more passionate I become. I’m guessing it’s a natural psychological phenomenon.
Just some food for thought.
Steve
Hey Anthony,
This is exactly what happened with me and I’m sure happens to so many others. I was racking my brain every day trying to figure out my passion. I did this for years…literally. I started websites, niche sites and never found what I truly wanted to do.
It’s funny, because many of us think that we will discover our passion by reading a book, but it doesn’t usually work that way.
Your last point hits the nail on the head for me as well. Over the last 5 months of writing here and talking with so many people, the passion I have for what I am doing is 10x stronger..
James
I often find that other people’s opinions/thoughts/expectations get in the way of doing what you really want. The thoughts I often have are ‘what is ‘x’ going to think if I quit my job’, ‘how am I going to tell ‘y’ exactly why I want to do something else’ etc etc.
Steve
James,
This is a great point and one that could easily turn into a lengthy discussion. Maybe I will write a post about it.
It soooo true though. Many of us allow other people to shape our decisions and ultimately how we live our lives. It’s not easy just going for it though. Most of us are held back by something. Fear, uncertainty, living within certain social norms, lack of confidence…
Thanks for pointing this out.
Paige Burkes
Steve,
I own Crush It and it’s next on my reading list. Four Hour Workweek is also a “must read.”
I love your blog! I’m in a very similar situation as you and have taken action toward my passion. I’m working on “niche”-ing it down but at least I’ve taken the action to get out there. I know I’ll fail every now and then, but so what! Nothing great happens without a few “failures” along the way.
I think so many people decide to be average because they think it’s what they’re supposed to do. Like James said, what will other think of me? My answer: Who cares? They’re not living my life. I want to be happy doing what I love every day. So I’m taking daily actions toward that. I have my goals and strategies to get there. Even though I have a full time job and three little kids at home, I’m making the time to make it happen because it’s SOOOO important to me.
I would love to connect with you and your readers on my site (www.PaigeBurkes.com), on Facebook (Breakthrough Systems) and Twitter (@PaigeBurkes). The more we can all work together to show as many people as possible that there’s another way, the happier the planet will be.
Steve
Hi Paige,
Awesome to hear you are moving towards living your passion! Of course we will all hit stumbling blocks, but we’ve just got to keep going. This is especially true with blogging!
The fact that you have a lot on your plate (job+3 kids) and are still working hard towards living your passions is huge! It obvious that you “get it”. You understand that life is what we make of it and we can make it incredible or we can make it shitty. You are making it incredible..
To me, living an average life, is such a waste. Life is so short and we have to take advantage of all that it offers.
I’m totally on board with connecting and trying to spread the word. Sometimes people just need a (not so) subtle reminder that they can life an extraordinary life!
Alison
Hi Steve,
Firstly, I’m half way to Crushing it. ( I live on a Greek island) now to tackle the cash side of the equation 😉
I read crush it when it came out and at the time my partner and I were playing about with niche sites. I just couldn’t motivate myself to build sites to sell affiliate products when I wasn’t really interested in the product.
After I read Crush it, I thought I’d try to do something I was more interested in but still include some affiliate marketing.
So I set up an Art blog. It’s only 3 months old now so I’m still a “digital baby” My partner is still hacking away at the niche sites and they are slowly climbing up the rankings in Google.
So I guess my point is, it is possible to make a living doing what you love but it takes time, persistence and a hell of a lot of hard work. At the beginning, it takes more effort than most people are willing to put into a 9-5 job, never mind your own business.
If you have enough drive I think it’s definitely possible. Unfortunately most people don’t. Or just don’t want to.
I don’t think you have to be the best either. Yes you have to be different but the most important thing is to keep trying. If it’s not working, try something different but try, try, try!
I do believe though that it will be worth it – one day 😉
Ali x
Steve
Hi Alison,
I have heard so many stories of people trying to make $ online but aren’t all that interested in their topic. Sorry you had to find out the hard way, but I did as well. Spent a full month working on a niche site only to scrap the whole thing because is was so damn boring. I did learn a lot though!
As far as effort, if I put as much effort into my day job as I do into my blog, I would be the CEO! Blogging is hard work but I know the rewards will be well worth it….someday 🙂
marlon @ productivity bits
I am quite new to endingthrgrind, and this is the second time I’ve seen Gary Vee’s Crush It! book.
If you are just starting out as a blogger, you MUST grab the book and spend a day or two to read it!
It should be a quick read because once you turned the cover, you wouldn’t want to stop until you reach the backcover!
Steve
Marlon,
Crush It is an absolute must read! Once we truly believe that we can earn a living doing that which inspires and excites us, the world becomes a much better place. I urge everyone to find their passions and then LIVE those passions!!
Swarnim
the blog was superb .. i needed it.. for last four years i m just struggling with life and have absolutely no clue what i am really doing .. i feel like a complete loser .. but i guess u cant really live with this unsettling feeling u gotta crush it and make it big..
Steve
Swarnim,
You seem to be pretty hard on yourself. Are you in India? What do you do for a living?