Everybody has off-days, even the most successful people. What then is the difference between successful people and average people? Successful people show up regardless of how they feel.
As a rookie in 1978 Cal Ripken Jr. committed a minor league-leading 33 errors. Lots of people felt that Cal was always going to be a defensive liability and wasn’t ever going to deserve a spot in the everyday roster.
However, through an amazing dedication to show up, and work on the fundamentals he became one of the greatest shortstops of all time. He set a major league record, starting 2,632 consecutive games, and once went 95 straight games without committing a defensive error (a major league record at the shortstop position).
He was able to overcome his defensive struggles and become one of the greatest shortstops of all time through what? Showing up. Whether he felt like it or not. And regardless of how much he loved baseball, you better believe there were some days during that streak he didn’t feel like going to the ballpark.
Another example of this is Tyler of Real Social Dynamics. He used to be a socially clueless loser, but he made the commitment to going out 7x a week (for several years) and became arguably the best pick up artist in the world.
I’m not comparing myself to the greats, but when I started this post I was uninspired and didn’t feel like writing. But you know what? I showed up. Maybe this post is the best I’ve ever written, or maybe people are going to unsubscribe because it’s just that bad.
I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. I showed up. And because I showed up I’ve got another post in my archive and took advantage of today’s opportunity to improve my writing skills and hopefully help others in the process.
Regardless of how you feel, make the commitment to show up. You may not produce your best work, but that’s ok. The important thing is that by showing up you’ll maintain your positive habits, and momentum. And who knows, you may be surprised by how much you’re capable of even on your worst days.
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