Kevin Hart was working at a sneaker store in Philadelphia when his manager called him into his office. Kevin was in big trouble. He knew that he was about to get the worse cussing of his life and it made him skittish. But when he went into the office, he was relieved. Instead of getting balled out, he got a pat on the back. Not only was he the new “floor general,” but he was seventy-five cents an hour richer. He was climbing the corporate ladder – sort of. That’s why it was so difficult for him to quit.
He had already made a few bucks doing stand-up comedy and won amateur night six times in a row. He was bitten by the showbiz bug and was ready to go bigtime. It may be hard to consider seventy-five cents the bigtime, but it is equally hard to leave your job when people are saying things like “quit dreaming” and “don’t quit your day job.” But he did quit his day job and has since become an award-winning actor and comedian, with his films grossing over $3.5 billion at the box office.
Kevin Hart’s secret to success? Discomfort.
According to Kevin, this is a quality specifically for the high achiever. If you want to go far, never get too comfortable and don’t be satisfied. Being comfortable causes you to press the brakes, slow down and halt your forward motion. No one ever changed the world by being comfortable. When you’re comfortable, it’s very easy to make the decision to stay where you are and become stuck in the status quo.
Many people are afraid to move from where they are for fear of making the wrong decision. But Kevin didn’t let the fear of making a mistake stop him because he had the good sense to recognize that mistakes are part of life, that they are mere stepping stones to success. He’s not saying that you won’t be uncomfortable. He’s saying be uncomfortable and do it anyway.
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