But the world needs you to stick with it

Was your first blog post worth anyone’s attention?

Be honest.

Go back and read it.

Instead of discussing my sorry first post, let’s talk about my Big Green Egg meat-smoking skills. My pulled pork BBQ is legendary within a 4.35-mile radius.

But I’ve smoked a couple of hundred Boston butts in 12 years. Yet my dog, Toby, looked away on the first few, waiting for me to iterate towards greatness.

And I did.

Working Towards Greatness

The cooking process was slow, painful, and expensive. A smoked butt is an all-day commitment, and when the final product is tougher than high school trig, a man gets disheartened. A few lousy cooking events in a row, and some people will roll their smokers out to the curb with a free sign.

Or they stop writing when their posts consistently get 8 reads a month.

What No One Is Telling You

But here’s what no one is telling you — actually, a couple of things.

Even though my first few smoked Boston butts weren’t worth eating, they had to happen. These gnarly experiences taught essential lessons that made me legendary.

The point is to stick with it.

No one tells you this because quitting thins out the competition.

A True Story About Perseverance in Pursuit of Your Goals

My best friend, Arthur, legendary in his own right, failed the electrical licensing exam on his first attempt. Did he give up? No. Instead, he doubled down, going all in. He bought more study books, enrolled in an expensive tutoring course, and is preparing to take the exam again.

Lesser men would have sulked over a few Wild Turkey shots and returned to their ordinary lives. But Arthur isn’t ordinary. He is already licensed in two states as a plumber and general contractor, and he’s attacking midlife by becoming the best man he can be.

Staying the course and practicing towards greatness elevates you to an elite status because most of your competition didn’t have the fortitude to persevere. They failed to harness the superpower of consistency.

The World Needs Your Unique Voice

The delay in greatness is the universe’s way of eliminating the pretenders. The world needs authenticity — people doing what God created them to do to reach people who will only hear their voices. Seth Godin influences many people, but others don’t respond to his message. They hear someone else’s unique voice, perhaps yours.

You need to be heard, but crafting your message takes time. This is good. No one could stand out like a purple cow if greatness were easy.

Legendary is a long, slow, and iterative process, like delicious smoked BBQ.

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