What you do is who you are.
There are many variations to this sentence, but the principle behind all of them is the same.
Whomever you want to become, or whatever you want to accomplish, you need to have discipline and consistency in your execution to get there.
If your ambition is to become a writer, you need to write frequently.
If your dream is to be an entrepreneur, you need to start a business and take a risk.
If you want to be fit, you need to sport regularly and eat healthily.
On that note, I love this quote from James Clear in Atomic Habits:
“Many people delay taking action because they hope to avoid suffering. They keep searching for a path that won’t involve trade-offs. But some form of suffering is always inevitable. The process of taking action is the process of choosing your pain.”
James Clear
Whatever you’re trying to do, there’s always a degree of suffering and pain.
I wake up early every morning to exercise and meditate.
I’m lucky I’m a morning person, so waking up is not that much of a sacrifice, but doing it consistently every single day is hard.
It requires determination and involves pain and suffering.
Of course, I’m exaggerating here, but you get the point. To live a healthy life and start my days well, I rely on this routine.
Because what you do is who you are.
I show up daily.
And if I skip a day, I don’t make it two days in a row.
“Missing once is an accident; missing twice is the start of a new habit.“
James Clear
Showing up is a big part of making progress.
For some people, this mindset comes naturally. For others, it needs self-awareness and practice.
Showing up separates the winners from the losers. They both may have the same goals, but the difference lies within the execution.
Daily.
This is how brands are born. This is how company cultures are created.
By doing consistently daily what you’re setting out to accomplish.
In my previous story, I wrote about writing a letter to your future self.
Here are some questions that may help you in the process.
What will 2022 for you look like by the end of the year?
How have you grown? What have you learned? What did you accomplish?
What do you want people to say about you by the end of 2022?
What do you want your personal brand to be?
Therefore, what do you need to start designing right now to make sure that what’s in your mind gets done by the end of 2022?
What trade-offs are required?
What pain and suffering are you willing to take on?
How will you show up?
I may trigger some irritation with my questions, but this is what it’s all about.
We can keep looking at other people, who they are, and what they have, but as long as we’re not willing to put the work in daily, we won’t make any progress.
Your turn: how will you show up?
Do more of what makes you happy!
Erikjan
PS. My personal growth webinar will now take place on Thursday the 6th of January at 2pm CET. Stay tuned for more details.
NB. This is the eighth publication in a series of ten connected to the 10 cues in my playbook “MIND.SET.GROW. – 10 life-changing cues for success and significance”.