You think you need a silver bullet. A magic formula.
But often you just need to turn up.
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Sticking With It
Ben & I saw our old boss this week, George.
Always a joy.
One thing he said stood out:
I realise it’s not about being super intelligent, or having some special skill. It’s just about turning up everyday. Do that for long enough and good things will happen.
George is off the back of an 8 year startup journey. Culminating in an acquisition by Revolut.
Nobly really went through it all. Some great highs and plenty of lows.
I have a huge amount of respect for him. He stuck with it.
Around the time I left we laid off half the company. The future looked bleak. But George dug deep. For two years he turned up everyday.
And got the result.
So there you have it: Just turn up.
How hard can that be?
Smile
Hard- it transpires.
It’s not merely a question of physically turning up. It’s how you turn up.
You could drag yourself in, slump at your desk, and spend the next 8 hours a bundle of nerves.
That’s not going to end well.
The question is whether you can turn up with a smile on your face.
Little is insurmountable when tackled with a smile.
But that’s the hard bit. Keeping that smile.
Doing hard things are inevitably uncertain. There are days when the path forward will not be clear.
But you need to believe it’s possible. Otherwise, how can anyone else?
The interesting thing about that is it’s the believing that counts. Believe it’s possible and it is. Thinking makes it so. Henry Ford said it best:
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right,” - Henry Ford
Conviction
Belief is infectious.
Radiate belief and others will follow suit. And really that’s the key.
Because to do anything interesting in this world you need to bring people with you. What is a company, after all, if not a group of people.
That’s it.
Turn up with complete conviction and a smile. There’s little better a leader can do.
And we’re all a leader of something. You might not see yourself as a leader. But you are. This lesson applies to you.
Of course there are details to figure out.
I’m over simplifying. But do the above and you’ve done the hard part. Everything else will follow.
So there you have it. Maybe there is a silver bullet after all: Turn up everyday with a smile.
Because if you can do that. If you can believe it’s possible. Then good news: You’re right.
My Week in Books📚
The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
Jaku survived Auschwitz and now, a Centurian, considers himself the happiest man on earth. A harrowing account of the holocaust. Incredibly thought provoking.
Dopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lembke
Lembke is one of the world’s leading expert on addiction. Extremely insightful book. We all have addictions. Awareness is the first step to curing them.
I’ll be updating the books I’ve read this year here. Any recommendations? Let me know! See 2021’s books here.
A Final Thought 💡
“Keep showing up for your side of the job and give genius a chance to do its part.”
- Elizabeth Gilbert