Consistency Before Greatness

By Steve Harris

In the pursuit of any next level of success we are forced to change, do things we’ve never done, and even take action on things we’ve never considered before.  And you know what?  It can be scary.

To stand out in the marketplace these days, you can’t just open a business, put a “Grand Opening” sign out front and hope to be discovered.  Well, not if you want to succeed.  The marketplace is packed full of noise, and there are businesses in your space that are offering substandard products or services that are having more success than you because they are doing enough of the things to stand out.

How are you going to stand out?  What hard and scary things are you going to do to let your future customers know that they need to be working with you for the best possible value and results?  How can you be heard above the noise?  Big breath here… you already know what it is.  You just are afraid to do it.  It’s the book you aren’t writing, it’s the public speaking gig you turned down, it’s the podcast or social media video you can’t bring yourself to do.  The great thing is, we can help you move past this with a change in mindset.  Here’s how:

1. You will never be ready. (JUST DO IT)

People rarely step into something new and are great at it, so don’t expect to be.  But you have to start in order to eventually become great.  

If fear is what’s holding you back, and it most often is, take time out of the equation.  Time gives you the opportunity to create fictitious negative outcomes of what will happen if you do something and you don’t get the response you want.  If you feel fear sneaking in as you are faced with shooting that social media video, stop thinking about it and shoot it.  NOW! 

2. You are going to be bad at first. (DO IT CONSTANTLY) 

So many people are paralyzed from making change because they are afraid of being bad at it when they first begin.  Spoiler alert.  You are going to be.  And so was everyone else.  Embrace that as part of the journey.  Embrace it as a badge of honor that you are the type of person that is willing to push through the learning curve to further your goals and dreams.  We have all heard the thought that it takes 10,000 hours to become great at something.  Let’s start stacking those hours up until we reach, as author and speaker Malcolm Gladwell calls it, “that magic number of greatness”.

3. Fail forward fast. (DO IT, FAIL, LEARN, AND KEEP GOING)

In our journey towards becoming great at something we need to apply to our business, during those 10,000 hours, we are going to make mistakes, we are going to fail.  Expect it.  In his book, Unbeatable Mind, Mark Divine, former Navy Seal Commander and creator of SealFit, shares the idea of Failing Forward Fast.  The premise is that we need to take action at such a pace that we find failures quickly, “make necessary adjustments, set new goals, and implement changes based on [our] insights.”  If we know mistakes are inevitable, and see them as a growth opportunity, we can rob the power away from our fear.

4. Don’t rest once you’ve achieved greatness. (NOW DO NEW THINGS)

You have made it through the initial fears, are putting in the work and seeing results.  You may not be great at it yet, but you are on your way.  Don’t stop.  And don’t only do this one thing.  Resting on your laurels will allow your competition to move past you.  Business is not a passive pursuit.  What was greatness today, is one social change, down market or new technology away from being obsolete.  It is important that you keep pushing through, starting the journey through these steps again and again.  Or as Southwest Airlines co-founder, Herb Keller put it, “If you rest on your laurels, you’ll get a thorn in your butt.”  Keep pushing.

Courage is not the absence of fear, it’s not giving fear the power to control you.  You will feel the fear, and oftentimes it’s that fear that is indicating where you need to take action.  Take control of it and take action, even if you aren’t ready.  Yes, you are going to be bad at first, but keep moving, make the mistakes, learn from them, make the changes, and keep pushing into your greatness.  The clock on your 10,000 hours starts now.

About the author:

Steve Harris is an entrepreneur, sought after holistic business coach, and COO of Gorgeous Business Solutions, LLC. who is passionate about helping fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners achieve whole-life success in their business, family, health and finances.  To connect with Steve directly reach out at www.gorgeousbusinesssolutions.com