WEEK 136: SHOW UP

The difference between an amateur and a "Pro" is the ability to show up, stick to your schedule, and complete the work. That is it.      Jess Kuemmerlin

REFLECTIONS (learnings and actions): Do you know the The #1 secret to success in your business/life?

Take some guesses?

Resources?

Skills?

Experience?

The answer, none of these.

Well, what is it?

I promise to tell you but want to share a little math experiment with you first. Oh, don't run away as it is quite easy and I will not make you solve any complex problems.

I want you to take a piece of normal printing paper and then fold it in half. Then, I want you to fold it in half again. Continue this process until you can not do this anymore.

Usually you get to about 6-7 folds before it gets too tough to fold (unless you are super buff like me). :)

Next, I want you to compare the height of an unfolded piece of paper and the the height of the paper you just folded.

You can clearly see that the height grew exponentially from the two just by taking simple actions consistently.

Now, what you can not imagine is the following. If you were to fold that same piece of paper 42 times, or had a machine to do that, what distance do you think it would cover?

Couple feet or meters, right?

Wrong, it would cover the distance from the surface of Earth all the way to the moon! That is right, the moon!

Crazy, yet this is the power of exponential growth.

All by simply folding a piece of paper onto itself over and over again.

This experiment highlights the power of exponential growth, which Warren Buffet (pretty smart dude), calls the 8th wonder of the world.

It is something the mind just can not wrap its mind around.

Now how does this relate to the #1 secret to success in life or business?

First, the #1 secret...YOUR ABILITY TO SHOW UP!

That is right. 

Day in, day out. I have said in the past this is what makes a "Pro" well a "Pro".

No matter what, tired, sore, mentally exhausted....they show up, stick to their schedule, and complete the work.

There have been accounts of Michael Jordan losing a high pressure playoff game, but being up the next day at 6 AMto train. 

No excuses, he just SHOWED UP to complete the work.

Going back to exponential growth. The key is that you do not break the chain, that is you consistently complete certain actions.

The same is true for success in your life or business. If you want gains you can not imagine, you need to SHOW UP daily, and do not break the chain.

Now, the work you do is just as important (could write a whole another post on that), but the discipline to SHOW UP consistently, no matter what, is a skill you will need to move from any level you are at, to the next level you want to reach.

Want to level up? Want to achieve something meaningful? 

Then be vicious to protect (almost violently) the #1 Secret to Success in Life and business, which is your ability to SHOW UP!

Top three activities that move me forward?

1. Clarifying and sticking to RULES (process goals) to ensure my success.

2. Learning and mastering Zen. Creates freedom in so many areas of my life.

3. Building up psychic umbrellas. Foxhole, GRR, Crisis, Constructive Worry

Biggest lessons/learnings and corrections?

Unknown, volatility, out of routines - anti-fragility  - is a benefits and help us grow.

What are you grateful for?

My beautiful wife and children. Take these guys for granted, need to let them know daily how special they are to me!

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PLANNING (Implementation Intention):  You will follow through 2X to 3X more likely to complete your weekly task than you normally would just by filling in the following statement.

I plan to complete the weekly task [day] at [time] in [location]. 

A reminder you might have to use multiple Implementation Intentions in order to follow through.

EXECUTION (strategies used):  From week to week, I use a combination of many strategies. There are always some which are used more than others depending on what comes up, but I wanted to offer a link to all them at once. 

My advice is to identify the I CAN'T statement you tell yourself during the most. Then find a strategy below the statement which resonates with you, and then start using it. 

Enjoy!

STRATEGY LIST