Are You Willing To Eat Drywall?

A friend of ours, after we showed him a new idea we’d been exploring, asked us this pointed question:

“That’s a great idea. Really good, in fact. But are you willing to eat drywall to bring it to life?”

Ask any entrepreneur, visionary, or founder about the journey they’ve undertaken, and you’ll hear over and over again that the path has been challenging. It comes with rocky stretches, places where they wanted to turn around, and moments where the next hundred yards looked nothing like what they expected or signed up for. Every worthwhile journey includes seasons that feel like eating drywall.

Years ago, a friend of mine shared a prayer card with me that he found among his dad’s belongings after his father passed away. It still sits on my desk today.

On the front is a saint. I have no idea which one, but he looks peaceful, well-groomed, and completely at rest. Every time I flip the card over and read the words on the back, though, I can’t help but think the picture should look different. I imagine tears in his clothing, blood on his shirt, dirt on his face, and a little more mess in his hair. The words on the back tell a story of someone who kept going, even when the journey became difficult.

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow

You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out –

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far;

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Don’t quit… because sometimes you’re going to need to eat some drywall along the way.
Here are three ways to wash it down.

1. Surround yourself with the right people. Find good friends, faithful cheerleaders, and, if you can, a few fellow drywall-eaters who know the taste and texture all too well. The hard parts will always be hard. There’s no eliminating them completely, but there’s tremendous strength in walking through them with people who are on your team.
2. Get crystal clear on your why. Keep coming back to your purpose. Your vision, mission, and core values have to become more than words hanging on an office wall. If their roots are deep enough, they’ll keep you standing when the storms come.
3. Challenge the stories you’re telling yourself. Anticipate resistance because it will come. Identify the paradigms that tell you, “I don’t belong here. I should give up.” Then replace them with something truer: “I have something valuable to offer. Someone needs what I’ve been called to build. I’m going to keep going.”

Almost everyone admires the finished product. Very few people see the drywall, but that’s almost always where the story is written. Friends, if you’re reading this right now and building something, remember the words: Don’t quit.