“Your single greatest competitive advantage is your ingenuity, and the only limitation to your ingenuity is whether or not you use it in a time of need..” - Jared Yellin
There is one guarantee that I have for you…
At some point in time, your back will be pressed against the wall.
Maybe it’s a financial challenge in your business.
Maybe it’s a frivolous legal battle.
Maybe it’s a disgruntled employee.
Maybe it’s an issue with your child, health, or significant other.
And when this happens - because I promise it will and probably more than once - what will you do?
Give up
or
Step up
Many people in your life might say that giving up is easier, and those are the exact people you should stop listening to.
It is NEVER easier to GIVE UP when your back is against the wall – EVER in no circumstance.
It might appear that way initially, but I guarantee you that the long-term regret will far outweigh the short-term satisfaction of avoiding the pressure.
But I totally get it…
When your back is against the wall, here’s what I know to be true…
1 - You don’t know who to trust or turn to.
2 - You feel extreme desperation, and you don’t trust your judgment.
3 - You are afraid to make any move.
4 - Your mind is racing with everything that you think will go wrong.
5 - You want someone to save you.
And here’s what I also know…
ZERO of the above is productive, and ZERO of the above will get you out of the current situation you believe you are in.
There is a saying I share with myself - on repeat - whenever I am in a bind, have my back against the wall, or struggling with something.
In the end, it will always be great.
And if it’s not great.
It’s not the end.
Try this saying on for size and then follow these steps…
7 Steps To Scale The Wall That Your Back Is Currently Against
Before you dig into these steps, I want to make sure you are aware of this…
You MUST do all of them.
You can’t pick and choose steps 3, 6, and 7 – all of them are interconnected and will help you climb the wall that feels impossible to scale.
This is the exact process I go to, which ensures I ALWAYS STEP UP and NEVER GIVE UP!
For me, giving up is never an option - and I mean NEVER - because I would rather face the discomfort and find a way to climb instead of looking back and regretting that I gave up prematurely.
And remember what I said before…
In the end, it will always be great.
And if it’s not great.
It’s not the end.
Step 1: Go to the Gym
Exercise reduces levels of the body's stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body's natural painkillers and mood elevators.
Therefore, the SECOND you feel your back pressed against the wall - GO TO THE GYM - or whatever you call the gym…
Run
Dance
Yoga
Bike
Lift
Swim
Climb
Do something physical even when your mind is telling you not to – do it anyway.
And this should not be a casual walk – it needs to be an extreme form of exercise that leaves you gasping for air, sweating, and feeling an insane sense of accomplishment for the 30-60-90 minutes that you pushed yourself past the point of comfort.
Step 2: Feel Blessed
Okay, now for your post-exercise cool down – feel blessed.
Feel blessed that whatever high power you believe in believes in you enough to test “how badly you want IT!”
Each time my back is against the wall, I say thank you, feel grateful, get excited, and my entire psychology changes around the current experience.
I see it as a game.
I see it as a positive challenge.
I see it as a test.
I see it as an opportunity for clarity, growth, and a deeper commitment to what matters.
This is not a hokey pokey scream in the mirror in order to feel blessed – it’s an authentic, genuine sigh of relief that your higher power has blessed you with an opportunity for you to prove to yourself that you are freakin unstoppable!
Step 3: There are No Rules
Now that you have worked up a sweat and feel absolutely blessed for the experience you are having, where growth and abundance are the only outcomes, it’s time for execution mode.
THERE ARE NO RULES when your back is against the wall besides ethics, morality, and legality.
So, don’t rob a bank or steal or lie or cheat.
But besides for these handful of don’ts – the world is your oyster.
Don’t ask for permission – just execute.
Don’t ask for opinions – just do it.
Don’t ask for validation – just get it.
Stop using the excuse of “rules, standards, terms,” etc., as the reason you are stuck with your back against the wall, and instead, just take action.
YES, you might ruffle a feather or two, but I promise you that scaling the wall is going to help hundreds to thousands of people, so the few feathers that have been ruffled are just the cost of doing something that positively impacts significantly more lives, including, most importantly, your own!
Step 4: Speed to Progress
Speed is key when your back is against the wall, so what you don’t have time to do is perseverate on the most optimal strategy that is carefully calculated and laid out for perfect execution.
You just won’t make it.
So instead, take action and then more action and then more action and then more action, and did I say more action (?) and don’t stop taking action until you make progress.
When my back is against the wall, I don’t just take action—I am a maniac for action and will not allow myself to even tap the brakes. Instead, I am consistently in full-throttle mode until my progress turns into momentum because momentum builds on momentum.
Step 5: Clearly Ask for Help
And all of this action is going to help you see where you have gaps, voids, weaknesses, etc., and this is where you clearly define how people can help you scale the wall.
Please realize this – people want to help you. It brings them joy, a sense of contribution, meaning, purpose, and so much more.
But if you don’t ask – they probably won’t help.
And when my back is against the wall, I look for people where helping me actually helps them even more than it helps me.
I identify ways that helping me will ensure they hit their goals faster and then I ensure yet again that they do hit their goals faster by helping me.
I get super strategic with whom I ask, so I don’t need to churn through a significant number of people before I find the perfect support. Instead, I get extremely clear on the type of help I need and then directly pursue the person whom I am 100% certain can deliver.
Step 6: Abandon Immediately
Through all of these steps, it’s just imperative that you abandon something immediately the moment you recognize that it is not working.
You don’t have time to spin your wheels!
You don’t have resources to waste!
You don’t have the runway to be romantic!
You just need to abandon what is not leading to progress - immediately - and then immediately test something else!
This goes for people, strategies, ideas, resources, groups, etc.
There is ZERO time to waste when your back is against the wall, so throw it away and try something else.
Step 7: Celebrate Your Climax
Remember…
In the end, it will always be great.
And if it’s not great.
It’s not the end.
You will know when you made it, and it's imperative that you celebrate!
Get a massage…
Rent a cabana…
Go on a trip…
Have a special meal…
Broadcast what transpired…
Be proud…
Please realize that 99% of the world will NEVER follow these steps, which means they will NEVER reach the climax and will NEVER have anything to celebrate.
Just don’t be most people, and instead, scale that wall and then go wild when you reach the other side because guess what…
You STEPPED UP!
Now What?
I want to share my quote from the top of this article once again…
“Your single greatest competitive advantage is your ingenuity, and the only limitation to your ingenuity is whether or not you use it in a time of need.” -Jared Yellin.
Every person on planet Earth is born and grows with a bucket of human ingenuity in their soul. This bucket will never deplete itself, and there will always be a reserve, which means you will NEVER run out.
The key…
You use it!
You default to it!
You master it through application!
Because, like the title of this article states, you only have TWO options when your back is against the way…
GIVE UP
Or
STEP UP
And if you made it this far then I am assuming that you are a STEP UP type of person like me which means – follow the seven steps and you will reach the outcome you desire.
I absolutely, unequivocally guarantee it!
Finally - keep me posted - I want to hear how you are using your gift of human ingenuity to ensure you get what you want and help others do the same.
TOGETHER is a way of life!
Live with Intention,
