What does it take to be great?

Seth Godin is a person of great influence on me. He has written a dozen best-selling books, is known as a thought leader in today’s marketplace, and he blogs every single day.

One of Seth’s “platforms” (I hate that word) is that showing up is underrated. I have heard him say that multiple times in blog posts, podcasts, and in books. Seth has been writing his on his blog for over 10 years. Every day.

Think about that consistency and that commitment for a minute: 10 Years. What have you done consistently for the past 10 years?

He attributes part of his success to his unwavering commitment to showing up every day. I cannot argue with him. I found it extremely difficult to write 100 blog posts over the course of 4 months. But I didn’t just show up and voila I was able to write. I had to work hard to get those words out.

Although I’m far from great, I have some ideas on how we achieve greatness over the long-term inspired by Mr. Godin.

Showing Up vs. Greatness

In football there were lots of guys who could walk onto the field without knowing the gameplan. They would make a few great plays that would impact the game and they would be celebrated. Nice job boys!

But they weren’t consistent plays. They were flashes of sporadic lighting that weren’t replicable. And when one of those players was asked how they did it, their answer usually stemmed back to a guess of some sort. Organized sports is rarely about guessing what to do.

100% of the guys that produced those flashes of greatness didn’t play for more than a year or so. They would fail out, lose interest, or get kicked off the team for not showing up to a workout or a meeting. They couldn’t be there consistently in any way, much less on the field when it counted. When we needed them.

But each of them got a shot to start ahead of the guy who just showed up every day. The guy who was there every day earned some respect and a chance to compete, but only if he showed up AND worked his tail off. Even that didn’t earn him the right to start.

There are people who can sporadically show up and produce greatness. But it’s not consistent. Nor is it replicable. And there is a terrible amount of luck involved.

Showing Up is Crucial

When we show up every day we give ourselves the opportunity for greatness. We aren’t guaranteed a thing, but it gives us the opportunity to be great.

I have a much better chance of having a blog post go viral if I write 500 of them as opposed to the guy who writes 1. I can’t hit a hole-in-one if I’m not on the golf course. And I can’t learn to surf if I’m not in the water.

Showing up is one of the first stages of commitment. The first stage is to set a goal. I set a goal to write every day for 30 days when I first started the blog. I knew that I had to get in the routine of showing up if I ever wanted to write a book.

Now on my 140th blog post, that goal setting has paid off. But the daily commitment is as hard as ever!

Showing up on Day 1 is hard. And it gets a little easier on Day 2. But Day 45? Your commitment is put to the test. Day 100? It’s still tough to dedicate time to something every day. So I cannot imagine what someone like Seth, whose blog posts range upwards of 4,000, feels when he sits down every day.

I’m all for sharpening the ax, we all need breaks. But I’m referring to the times when we haven’t allowed ourselves the time away. For example, I committed to blogging every weekday. I allowed myself the weekends to pull away after that initial 30 day sprint. But during the week I write every single morning whether I get something posted or not.

But is that enough?

There are very few places that reward hard work more than athletic competitions.

Back on that football field, the guys that showed up every day weren’t just named the starters because they were on time and were warm bodies. The best guys that consistently showed up and got better were awarded a majority of the playing time.

Showing up is only step one. Lots of guys make it through training camp and get to practice every day. But the best show up and get better every day.

Showing up doesn’t mean you are owed anything. Showing up just gives you the opportunity to write, to get better, to learn, or to grow.

But you have to be willing to work at it when you get there. People always say the first step is the hardest, and I agree. But that 140th step is almost as hard as the first. .

Showing up and producing doesn’t get easier like most things we do with repetition. Think about the differences in driving to work 100 times versus creating 100 pieces of art. Big gap, eh?

Which is why Seth says showing up is so underrated. We’re used to having things get easier the more we do them. But that difficult commitment is why we look at people with consistency and call them great.

A Greatness Hack

An amazing thing happens once we’re in our chairs or on the practice field. The hardest part of the commitment is over.

People often say that the hardest step in any journey is the first one. Well once you have made that first step, it’s harder to turn back. You are here, you might as well put in the work!

When you are faced with writing, it’s harder to turn away from a blank page with a pen in hand than if you never sat down. And it’s harder to walk off the practice field once you’re dressed than it is if you never got to the locker room.

Showing up does not equal automatic work. It just means you’re building momentum.

What does it take to be great?

So we can’t just show up blank stare like a bump on a log.

The most celebrated people are not the ones that just show up and wait for things to happen. Nor are they the ones that only bring their A-games when they feel like it.

The ones that make a difference, the Linchpins, are the ones that produce lighting by trying to make it happen ever day.

They show up and work hard, day in-and day-out. They produce the lightning, but not because they are lucky. They produce it because they were there to capture it when it strikes.

You are more likely to come up with a great idea if you produce 10,000 “regular” ideas rather than just 1 of them right? So show up every day and bring your best.

Greatness is not some mystical formula. It’s a process. And that process starts with showing up every day.

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What are you thoughts on achieving greatness?

I look forward to hearing from you below or on Twitter (@mikemccann3), have a great day!

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