‘Keep showing up’.
These were last words spoken by Elizabeth Gilbert in one of my favourite Ted Talks. She was speaking about creativity. She implored us to stay present and work at your craft so that ‘your elusive creative genius’ will make an appearance.
I feel it’s an important lesson for anyone seeking success. Keep showing up.
All the fitness gurus repeat the same mantra. Create a manageable fitness regime. Show up at the gym. Run 3 times a week. Do your strength training every day. Whatever it is, don’t miss. Just keep showing up. As a famous brand says, just do it. All writers say it. How do they become successful writers? They write every day. Whenever you meet people who are great cooks, you realise they’ve been honing their cooking skills every day. For many years.
I apply it to my own life. I want to improve my Italian language skills, so every day I practice. In my professional life, I want to develop my expertise. I keep reading up on the latest thinking, listening to inspiring podcasts, meeting up and learning from the people I admire. I want to become a better business coach, so I work with a coach.
Successful brands do it. One of the key traits of great brands is consistency. They keep on doing the same things that people love year in, year out. They look the same, they deliver their promise. They don’t let you down. According to Kantar, 2020’s most successful Christmas ad is this one from Coke.
Without giving anyway any spoilers, it features a man in a white beard and a large truck. Coke showed up. It continues to occupy a specific space in people’s minds.
There’s rarely such a thing as an overnight success. Remember Malcolm Gladwell and the key message from his wonderful book Outliers? The story of success is 10 000 hours of practice. It even applied to the Beatles.
To summarise
What’s the secret of success? Well, to begin with, remember to keep showing up. This is the bit you can control. Develop good habits. Stick at it. Work at it. You’ll have good days and you’ll have bad days. But don’t chop and change. Don’t get bored. Keep going. And without noticing it, you’ll improve, you’ll develop and you’ll achieve your goals.