Success = Consistency + Feedback + Persistence

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Keep Turning Up
- Ch: 6.6 of How To Get Your Sh!t Together -

“Good things are coming down the road. Just don’t stop walking.”  – Robert Warren Painter Jr

I love writing, fiction in particular, but it took years of idle dreaming before I had the confidence to even pick up a pen. How could I possibly start? I had some ideas, but I didn’t think I could manage it, the endeavor seemed too large.

What authors do seemed so far beyond my reach that it bordered on the impossible. A great author creates an interesting, deep, and internally consistent universe; fills it with rich and diverse characters; adds the spark of conflict, change, or growth; and then presses play, subtly guiding the course of events. The author then has to record what they observe unfolding in their fictional universe, and express it in a way that other people can glimpse it. Well written fiction is seamless and immersive. The reader is transported into the author’s universe, accepting the world and the characters within, and embracing the story in its entirety, excited to see what happens next.

Eventually I got up the courage and attempted to write. Before starting, I got myself as prepared as possible. I ensured that I was adequately fed, warm, and free of distractions. My laptop was on and Microsoft Word was open. I put a pillow on my chair for added comfort and sat down, ready and eager to create. This was it, I was about to start what I hoped would become my first masterpiece. But when I looked at the blank page, I was stumped. How could I possibly hope to turn that into a story? Despite all of the years of dreaming, all of my preparation, and my hopes for success, I failed. After numerous false starts, the blank page remained blank.

I had hundreds of vague ideas that I wanted to express, but I lacked the talent or clarity to bring them into reality. It was frustrating, and reminiscent of my attempts at other forms of artistry and creativity. The gap between what my mind wanted to create, and what I was capable of creating felt insurmountable.

I was discouraged, but I didn’t quit. I knew that nobody is born with world class talent.

No matter the person, no matter the industry, and no matter how far ahead of the pack they currently are, they were not born there. Every author that I had ever read started somewhere, and likely faced the same issues that I was currently facing. Yet they were able push through and succeed.

This realisation set me on a journey of discovery, I wanted to know what they knew, and most importantly, how they were able to develop the skills that I currently did not possess. I wanted to see what the common traits, habits and actions of a successful author are, and then hopefully replicate them. In order to do this I listened to them talk, read their autobiographies and watched them being interviewed. Despite the differences in their style and genre, all of the authors repeatedly gave the following advice to prospective authors: if you want to be a writer, read and write a lot.

This simple message was repeated over and over and over again. It was uncanny, every single bestselling author insisted that the best thing you can possibly do each day is to read and write. When pressed they of course delved into their daily rituals, preparations and other habits, but at the core, their advice was always the same: read and write every day. Be consistent, keep turning up.

Hearing this, I decided to persist. I was already reading daily, so I only had to force myself to write more. I just needed to push through the initial phase of inability, until I developed the skillset to create something worthwhile. I decided to throw caution to the wind and just start, knowing full well that what I would produce in those early days would be terrible, but necessarily so.

I knew that if I kept pushing through, and kept writing each day, I would eventually get better.

Over time I was able to scratch out some poetry, and then some short fiction. As my confidence grew, I decided to attempt to use my writing as a way to help myself through some of my more deep-seated mental afflictions by writing about the trauma of my past. This eventually became my first book, ‘Under The Influence - Reclaiming My Childhood’. From there I went onto create my first fiction novella ‘Upgrade’, an anthology of short stories taking place in a dystopic future. I chose to present that story as an anthology, because I recognised my own limitations as a writer. I didn’t yet have the skills necessary to write a complete novel. I knew the story and universe that I wanted to create, but I also knew that I still wasn’t at a stage in my abilities that I could hope to express on the page what I had in my mind. So I chose a different approach, the collection of short stories that made up Upgrade were each individually within my capacity as a writer, and collectively they told the story that I wanted to tell. My next attempt at fiction will hopefully be a step further towards my ultimate goal.

Writing this book has been a mammoth undertaking, it just kept growing. It felt like a multi-headed hydra, as every time I finished a chapter, it felt like two new ones would pop up, needing to be written. I knew that the only way that I could ever possibly finish something like this was by turning up each day and putting pen to paper.

It was slow progress, but slow progress is better than no progress at all.

If I quit half way, I would have had nothing. If I stopped when it became difficult, I would have had nothing. It is exceedingly obvious, but it needs to be stated out loud: the only way this book exists and is in your hands now is because I didn’t quit.

In fact, the only reason that anything exists, or anything is accomplished, is because its creators didn’t quit. They kept turning up, consistently working, overcoming failures and pushing through setbacks, until the job was done.

“Remember that person who gave up? Nobody does.”  – Anonymous

There is a simple truth that most people fail to accept: if you want to be successful at anything, you have to keep turning up.

It isn’t only the bestselling authors that attribute their success to keeping on turning up. It is almost every successful person on the planet. Watch an interview with world class performers, top level business executives, elite athletes, successful musicians, actors and artists, and you will see the same thing. Despite all coming from different backgrounds and focusing on dramatically different endeavors, they all claim that they are successful because they kept turning up.

They worked when others rested. They persisted when others quit. They pushed through repeated failures and setbacks. They recognised that only they can change their lives. They prioritised their goals, and put future success in front of short term pleasure.

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TAKE ACTION

Research the origin story of five world class performers. It doesn’t matter what field, industry or profession they come from, as long as they are (or have been) at the top. Alternatively look up videos of them talking about their success.

Take note of the commonalities between them, particularly on their attitudes to hard work, persistence and overcoming failure and setbacks.

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It is clear that world class performers face the same challenges, hurdles and setbacks that we all do. But unlike most people, they persist. They keep going when other people stop. They put in the hard work, and never quit. Their journey to success may be long and winding, but eventually they got there. You will have noticed that most of them failed many time before they were successful, and that if they had given up when they failed, they would never have been the success that they currently are.

Success only comes from consistent hard work.

“Most people fail, not because of lack of desire, but because of lack of commitment.” – Vince Lombardi

Young kids are great at continually turning up. Watch a young child progress through the milestones of talking, eating, crawling, walking, swimming, tying their shoes and so on. They consistently fail, but by watching, mimicking and through continual trial and error, they eventually succeed. For kids, there are no shortcuts to be found. If they want to walk, they have to keep trying. These feats don’t seem all that impressive because we all do them now with ease. Yet the lessons of how we acquired those necessary life skills can be applied to excelling and achieving greatness.

A distinction needs to be made between beating your head against a brick wall and effective personal development.

By ‘keep turning up’ I am not saying to keep trying the one approach hoping that it will be successful. I mean that you need to persist in the pursuit of the goal, but not necessarily by only using the first method you try. If you keep working at your craft, attempt new approaches when the old ones fail, continually ask for feedback, always working on self-development, and always learning new things, success will come. No other option is possible.

Take exercise for example, specifically the goal of getting stronger. You need to lift weights, and eat plenty of protein if you want to increase your muscle mass. There is no way around these two requirements. However, there are many different types of lifts, exercise plans and approaches to gym work, as well as a plethora of dietary plans and advice that you could try. Provided you don’t stop exercising you will eventually reach your goal. It may require innumerable tweaks, however if you persist, if you keep turning up, you will eventually find a combination of diet and exercise that works for you. In this case, ‘keep turning up’ means regularly going to the gym, putting in quality training sessions each time, but also continually researching, adapting and considering the best ways to add muscle mass.

Take playing the guitar for example. The only way to get good is by practicing every day. The more time that you have your hands on the instrument, the better you will be at it. Ideally it will eventually feel like an extension of your body, something you were almost born with. But to get to that level requires hours of work, repeated failures and an initial inability to use it properly. In this case ‘keep turning up’ means practicing daily, as well as looking up tutorials or paying for regular lessons with a professional. You may need to change teachers many times until you find the right one for you.

Even something as mundane as maintaining a clean house requires you to ‘keep turning up’. You need to plan where your household items will live when not in use. Bins need to be taken out, dishes need to be washed, and kid toys need to be put away. The bed needs to be made daily, toilets need to be scrubbed and floors vacuumed. There is dusting, polishing, bleaching, cleansing and maintenance. Sure, you can let some things go for a little while, but sooner or later you will have to address those omissions. A clean house requires hard work, and consistent effort.

“Don’t count on motivation, count on discipline.” – Jocko Willink

On Motivation, Discipline and Consistency

While motivation is an amazing tool, it is transient and unreliable. It is hard, if not completely impossible, to stay motivated 100% of the time. You can read all of the self-help books, or look all the quotes, listen to the music, repeat the mantras, slap yourself or do any number of other motivating actions, but eventually your motivation will drop. In fact, your motivation to even do those actions to motivate yourself will drop.

Trying to stay continuously motivated is like trying to stay continuously happy, you can do it for a while, but eventually you will have to come down to a lower, calmer lever of functioning.

This is where discipline comes in. This is self-imposed discipline, it is making a plan, sticking to a structure or routine. One that is geared towards your goals and dream attainment.

I exercise daily, but I am not always motivated to do so. On those days, waking up early and going to the gym is a struggle, but I force myself to do it anyway. I get myself to the gym, do the workout and continue with my day. Although I ‘don’t want to’ that day, I know that deep down I have goals that I want to accomplish that require me to train daily. I know that if I waited until I was motivated enough to go to the gym on my own accord, I would probably train only half as much as I currently do. The same thing is true for my diet, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training, learning to speak the Russian language, meditation, as well as with my writing. I know that unless I stay consistent, keep turning up and being disciplined enough with everything I value, I stand no chance of being successful.

Relying on motivation is folly.

Think back to all of your half started projects and ventures that failed as soon as you lost your initial motivation. The better approach is to work out what you want and what you need to do to get it. You should then set your life up in a way that if you stick to that approach, you will get it. Then all you need to do is to put in the work.

Of course this approach needs to be balanced for you as an individual, taking into account your starting point, mental afflictions, personality and personal life circumstances. Making sure that you are ‘Guarding Your Mental State At All Costs’ (chapter 2.1). However these changes must be made, because by not making them, you run the risk of stagnation and subsequent failure. Attempt to pursue your dreams as it makes life worth living, be disciplined enough to keep turning up when your initial motivation fails.

Follow the advice that I outlined in chapter 3.5 ‘Change Habits Slowly’, and make the necessary changes to your life that will enable you to keep turning up. It could mean waking up earlier and going to bed later, or conversely getting more sleep. It could mean scheduling specific alone time to dedicate to your craft, it could mean speaking to a therapist, life coach or organiser to help with maintaining appointments. It could mean asking a friend to keep you accountable, or joining a support group for mutual support. It could mean reading, researching, and undertaking extensive personal development. It could involve cutting caffeine, alcohol, porn, gambling, drugs or toxic people completely from your life. Whatever it involves for you, take the time and put those actions into place.

Be consistent, be disciplined and no matter what, keep turning up.

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TAKE ACTION

The purpose of this TAKE ACTION is to get you to start imposing a very small amount of self-discipline each day. The goal being to show you that taking small consistent steps can lead to big changes.

All you need to do is consume one extra glass of water every morning.

Not only is drinking water is ridiculously important for health and mental functioning, but drinking one glass does not take much effort to perform. It can be easily done upon waking, and planned for the night before by pouring yourself one before bed.

This one act of self-discipline completed each day could be life changing. Not only will you feel physically better as a result, but you will also be taking ownership of your life, and making a consistent effort to improve yourself.

Once you have added the glass of water to your morning routine, incrementally add the following to your day:

- Make your bed as soon as you get up
- Clean the dishes each night before bed
- Do five minutes of exercise each morning
- Read 10 pages of a book before bed
- Do ten minutes of meditation each day

These are small and simple acts, but they represent a catalyst for life change. By doing these small things each day, you will develop the skills necessary for your larger dreams, as well as the capacity to keep turning up.

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“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” – Kevin Durant

It is important to realise that whenever you encounter a successful person, you are seeing them where they are now, not where they have come from. You don’t get to see their failures, setbacks and personal doubts. You weren’t there for any of that. In fact, the only reason that you have even heard of them is because they kept turning up and worked on their craft for years prior. Unless you account for the thousands of hours they spent practicing, and all of the failures that they pushed through, you may falsely assume that it was just a combination of lucky breaks and natural talent that got them there. If success is only luck and natural talent, then there is truly nothing you can do to change anything in your life; but that is simply not the case.

People ‘change their fortunes’ all the time, not by luck, but through consistent hard work.

I am not saying that you need to perform at the elite level, rather I am saying that you should attempt to learn from elite performers. To look at their approach to success and implement it into your life. That is to keep turning up, be consistent, work on your faults and impose self-discipline. If you do this, you won’t fail.

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Frequently Asked Question
Q) I am not seeing the results that I want, even though I keep turning up.

A) Try tracking your results. Sometimes results can be so incremental that we fail to notice them. I find that tracking my starting point and checking against it is a good guide to improvement. It is amazing to see how far I have come, despite feeling like I haven’t moved at all.

Additionally, perhaps you need to ‘keep turning up’ in the form of researching alternative methods to achieve your goals. Perhaps your current approach is not ideal and could be tweaked to use a slightly different method.

Also it is important to note that in some areas, success can take years, or even a lifetime of commitment. I would suggest that you look into the stories of other people who have come before you and investigate how long it took them to start seeing results. Perhaps what you are experiencing is normal. If not, look towards those experts for specific advice on how to make progress. Just don’t stop!

Q) I find it hard to keep turning up. I lose motivation and after a while the goal seems unimportant.

A) Motivation will fail you. Self-discipline is what will keep you going.

You have to accept that getting really good at something requires a lot of time and effort. You will have to keep turning up, and sometimes you won’t like it, sometimes it will feel like a chore. For me, some days are harder than others. On those days, I like to remind myself of why I am choosing to do what I am doing and where it will lead me.

The other possibility is that you actually don’t value the goal as much as you think you do. Perhaps it is more of a pipe dream or maybe you have a romanticised vision relating to accomplishing the goal and have not truly considered the effort that it would take to achieve it. Only you will know if you seriously want to achieve the goal, and if you really value it at your core. If you don’t value it, consider changing paths sooner rather than later.

Q) I am not a natural in anything. Other people have such a head start over me.

A) That may be the case, but that means that you will also learn the skills of perseverance, effort and determination. When you see improvement and become successful, you will know where you came from and the satisfaction will be that much greater. Even if people are naturally ‘better’ than you, they will still have to put in the work or else they will eventually be overtaken.

If you keep turning up, you will see improvements, and given enough time, those improvements will translate into success.

Further Reading:
The War Of Art, Steven Pressfield
Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, Mason Curry
Modelling The Masters, Evan Charmichael: https://www.youtube.com/user/ModelingTheMasters

Summary:
Keep persisting towards your goals. Recognise that it is only through years of experience, work, and overcoming failure and setbacks that you will be successful. If you quit, you guarantee your failure.