Chet wanted to put a sprinkler system in his yard. He didn’t know how to do it, but how hard could it be? After watching a couple YouTube videos, he wrote up a list of supplies and headed to the hardware store. While perusing the irrigation aisle, a store clerk approached Chet and offered to help him find what he was looking for. “No thanks,” Chet said. “I got this.” The clerk glanced down at the hodge-podge collection of supplies Chet had put together and again offered some professional advice. Chet, getting annoyed now, again declined the offer. He was going to do this on his own.
Back home, with a truck bed full of PVC pipes, couplers, sprinkler heads and control valves, Chet grabbed a shovel and started to dig. A neighbor stopped by and told Chet that he had a trench digger that would make the work a lot easier. He offered to bring it over and help dig. “No thanks,” Chet said. “I got this.” He was on a mission.
The digging was a lot harder than Chet had anticipated. The trench lines were a bit of a mess. They weren’t straight and some were deeper than others. As Chet got to work laying the PVC pipes into his trenches, a second neighbor stopped by and offered to help. He had experience installing sprinkler systems. “No thanks,” Chet said. “I got this.” The neighbor could see that Chet clearly did not have this, but he knew when he was getting the cold shoulder. He headed back to his side of the street and kept his fingers crossed.
When Chet finally finished, what should have been a uniform grid of PVC pipe looked more like a spider web that had been built by a spider on methamphetamines. Nonetheless, it was the moment of truth. The neighbors who had offered to help, along with several others who had been watching through their windows, stepped out onto their porches. Chet turned the valve. At first there was a low rumbling, gurgling sound as the water began to flow. The pipes began to rattle and shake. A sprinkler head popped up and a glorious fan of water began to spray across the lawn. Chet felt the warmth of triumph spread across his chest.
Then all hell broke loose. Two pipes burst. A sprinkler head exploded. Several geysers of water shot into the air. Chet was frozen. He watched helplessly as his trenches filled with water and began to overflow. The neighbors came. One of them turned off the water. Others brought tools and went to work. Chet, embarrassed, tried to wave them off. “No thanks,” they said. “We got this.”
Chet had been unable or unwilling to see the help that had been offered. His ego prevented him from understanding that he had gotten himself in over his head. He had failed to see and take advantage of the power of community. That’s what we offer at IMS. Community. Your vision, your training, your results are yours and yours alone. But you don’t have to take the journey alone. Whether it's attending weekend programs, working with our Certified Trainers, or simply connecting with other members, one of our key components is the community. It’s a community of like-minded people all creating their lives intentionally. And surrounding yourself with people who are up to stuff is a great way to motivate yourself to get up to stuff. The community knows what you’re going for and what you’re going through. It engenders accountability and camaraderie. You’ll speak a common language, brainstorm ideas together, and encourage each other through the most difficult of challenges. You can leverage the power of community as you navigate the road to personal mastery. Because having just one other person in your corner creates exponential possibilities for success.
Don’t be a Chet. Click HERE to book a call and get paired with a Certified IM Trainer for a complimentary 3-session mini course to align your Inner Matrix to create epic outcomes. Our Certified Trainers are a great place to begin building your community of people who support your transformation.