When I was a kid I was told that I had to get good grades in high school to get into a good college. And then I would have to do well in college to get a good first job. And so on.
I'm sure part of that was true.
But in a world where things are constantly changing, even a great degree from Berkeley won't necessarily prepare you for the kinds of jobs that become available.
In my case, I graduated just before the open internet kicked off. No degree would have prepared me for what I would end up doing at Berkeley National Lab.
But you know the best thing that came from my time at Cal?
Graduating.
Finishing.
Yes, that was the thing. Because it was hard. And because I thought of dropping out a couple times. Plus there were several of my peers when I started that had already dropped out.
Finishing was the thing that convinced me
What did it convince me of? That I could finish.
That's what finishing does. It shows you that you can. It helps you recognize that you have the thing inside you that helps you not give up, not quit.
Today I finished 366 days of straight blogging.
Daily.
I started the last day of last year, and this post represents the last post of this year.
I blogged every single day of this year. Trying to be helpful – not writing about what I ate for lunch, or anything like that.
I know, you're likely going to think – or now will – that quality is better than quantity.
And you know what I say to that?
Quality combined with quantity is even more powerful.
Because consistency isn't about the thing you're consistent with. It's its own end.
Here's what consistency means to me:
- You show up. Even when you don't want to.
- You put in the time and energy. Even when it's hard.
- You embrace the process. Even more than the result.
- You finish. Even when you weren't sure you could.
I'm not quitting, like I told you the other day. But if I were, you know why I would tell someone to hire me? Those reasons above. I know how to show up, put in the work, embrace the process, and finish.
Who doesn't want that kind of person on their team?
The Power of Consistency
A guy I know once told someone else that I was an “idea” guy that didn't execute. I love that stuff – because it simply fuels me. This past year, here's what I executed on:
- Managed the development of the Plugin Performance Monitor
- Managed the development of WooCommerce Automated Testing
- Ran due diligence and helped close the acquisition of LearnDash
- Took over the GM role of LearnDash and hired more staff
- Launched the first version of “Skip the Grind” conference
- Ran CaboPress with 50 people flying in/out of Mexico without COVID
- oh, and…
- Wrote a new post. every. single. day.
I just finished watching Swagger on AppleTV+. When the coach calls them into their first basketball huddle, to cheer, he says, “Show up on three.”
They look at him inquisitively. “Show up?” How is that a rallying cry?
But it is.
Because execution is all about showing up.
Consistently.
Want to Become a Better Blogger?
So while I was blogging every day I would get comments, DMs, and Twitter replies to posts asking about the process and how to get better at blogging.
These questions have nothing to do with daily blogging. They have to do with the most common challenges of blogging – the freezing when staring at a blank page, and the frustration of how long it takes to write.
Even as I answered the questions, I knew I needed to do something more focused to help people. So I created a course that teaches you how to be a better blogger and it's now published at WP101. Normally this would cost you much more, but my buddy Shawn is running a year-end sale on his lifetime plan. So you get my course and everything else for a one-time charge of $69. My buddy Jorge already took the course and gave me the thumbs up. And you know how honest your closest friends are with you. 🙂
I can't teach you consistency, but I can certainly teach you how to blog, so check out the new course.