Put In Your Reps

I read “Atomic Habits”, by James Clear, and one thing is clear (no pun intended), the only way for progress to be made in any field, craft, or skill is to make sure to put in your reps.

Many times, we find ourselves yearning for a specific vision to be fulfilled.

There is an end goal we want to achieve.

Focused on the hustle, we can find ourselves wanting to break our way into the top.

But success never happens overnight:

• A new Youtuber never maintains 1 million views after posting a single viral video.

• A first-time entrepreneur never becomes a millionaire by building out a product and shipping it overnight.

• A junior employee at a company doesn’t become an executive or CEO in a year, even if they work the hardest. (okay, maybe if there’s nepotism involved 👀)

There is a possibility of capturing potential from one moment of success, but consistent success cannot stand without a strong foundation.

Like trying to grow muscles, we must put in the work to build up habits as a bodybuilder does.

Now one thing I know that stops many people, including me, is that when aiming for a goal, we want to do things the right way.

Comparing our goal to others who’ve walked the walk, we can’t help but wonder how we can achieve the perfect path.

That is a lie.

There is no perfect path. No one way.

Perfection is a good goal to imitate and strive for.

But visions without a healthy dose of reality can be toxic.

And the truth is, looking at other people who are successful, there is a long period of work, perseverance, and grit that is undertaken and sometimes unseen.

When looking at the famous MrBeast’s earliest videos, his videos have the quality and shakiness of a beginner.

He didn’t know what content he wanted to produce.

He wasn’t sure what direction he wanted to go.

But he did his reps.

He tried everything in the Youtube world, brainstormed and executed ideas, and was willing to be a fool in order to become where he is now.

“If you are not willing to be a fool, you can't become a master.”

―Jordan B. Peterson

It reminds me of a study where a photography class gave students a final project.

Half the students were told they could only take one photo, and submit that photo for their assignment, while the other half of the students were told they could take as many photos as they wanted, submitting only the final one.

Surprisingly, the people who took photos had higher grades than the ones who only took one photo.

And it makes sense.

You can analyze your positioning, work on photographic effects, and read all the books from all the experts you want, but until you take a picture, you won’t know what your photo looks like in practice.

Experience trumps theory.

They did their reps.

So what are you waiting for?

What is a goal you want to achieve? A project you want to start?

Take the time to plan out the path (but don’t get caught in perfection).

Then put on those weights.

Go to the bench.

And put in those reps.

Questions to ponder: 🤔

• What is one project or someday goal you want to achieve?

• What is one thing you can do today or this week in order to start putting in reps towards that goal?