The Secret To Success Is Showing Up

J.K. Rowling had never written anything till she was 23. At 32, she published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – a now legendary book series that would make her one of the richest people on the planet. 

Alan Rickman, a veteran British actor who played Snape in the Harry Potter films (among many other iconic roles) didn’t get his start in the film world till he was 28.

Let’s try to put ourselves in the shoes of these people before their glory days. They must have had days when they doubted themselves. When they thought it was too late for them or that the odds were too great. But, they didn’t let that be the end of their story.

In their stories lies a crucial lesson. One that many aspiring entrepreneurs are unaware of. 

You don’t have to be good to start. 

Now don't misunderstand: J.K. Rowling and Alan Rickman, became not just good, but great. They might have always been great, deep down. But clearly, reaching that peak took a little bit of time and one could imagine, some error. So for however gifted they were, it was a process. 

All of us have ideas. Some of them might even be good ones. But only a tiny fraction of people ever actually pursue their ideas. With all the noise surrounding those that do, it's hard to forget that crucial lesson.

Success stories are everywhere. It seems like every other day, there’s a new Silicon Valley millionaire, some artist whose Instagram went viral and now they’ve landed a record deal. It’s easy to look at these things from a surface and think “Wow, look at these talented people who made a new app. If only I knew how to code” or “This YouTube music creator went viral! I could never do something like that since I can’t even play a single instrument.”

This is a problem that kills most good ideas before they begin. 

Remember, the world champion was once a novice. The person you admire so much, they were just like you. They identified where in their life they had natural ability, passion, talent or an inclination and began to put not only the work in but put themselves out there. 

Just Show Up

Learning is like building a framework. Initially, when your framework is weak; a lot of information is going to fly past you. But over time, as your framework grows, you will begin to capture more and more detail. That’s how you get good at anything. 

• If you knew you would win a Junebug Wedding photo contest in 2 years, that attracted millions of eyes and potential clients, would you start learning photography right now? 
• If you knew for sure that the website you design would attract a dozen potential investors in 18 months, would you start learning to code today?

If your answer is yes, then all that remains between this day and the day that you succeed is that you show up and put in the work. 

Yes, you’re probably going to be terrible at it in the beginning. You’ve never written a function before. You’ve never played a scale. You've never designed a logo You’re not going to do it well.

But that’s OK. No one expects you to be great on Day 1. Stop holding yourself to an impossible standard.

The Action Avalanche

Right now, your goal is a series of what-ifs. It is a series of unknown situations, and that is why you’re reluctant to take action. You’re thinking…

• What happens if I change the theme on my website?
• How do I deal with potential clients who ask about my services?
• How can I get the editing on my shots to look like that?

The way to turn these unknowns into knowns is through action.

You change the theme on your website a couple of times and nothing breaks. You’re now comfortable with the act instead of being apprehensive of it.

You talk to a couple of clients about what you do, and it’s not as big a deal as you thought it would be. They asked questions and you answered, simple.

This is the beautiful part about taking action. It breaks through the fog of overthinking. It’s easy to sit and overanalyze every possible problem and situation. But once you get down and do something, things clear up. The little bit of bravery it took for you to answer that first client call sets into motion a chain of positive events. 

You realize that you just ventured beyond what you thought your limits were. You begin questioning the negative beliefs you might have had about yourself. You realize your stronger, smarter and far more capable than you once imagined. Persistent action towards a goal physically changes your body and rewires your mind to become more efficient at the task you’re going after.

That’s it. 

If you want to be a once-in-a-lifetime entrepreneur…

If you want to be remembered…

If you want to be truly great…

Just show up.

To your success,

Dubsado – The Ultimate Automation Tool For Entrepreneurs