Read time: 3.5 minutes

Welcome to issue No. 054 of the Lever

No matter your goals, at some point you've got to put your nose down and do the work.

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But First:

Time blocking is a proven strategy to manage your time and get things done.

I've created a short course to help you learn this valuable skill.

It includes the Daily Dashboard - a template that automatically imports your Google Calendar data and visualizes it for amazing insights.

​Find it here

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Work Hard

Dwayne Johnson has a motto:

This mindset has served him well, with careers in football, wrestling, and entertainment, leading him to be the biggest actor in the world today (literally and figuratively).

At the same time, social media has gone from zero to full ahead, with people putting themselves under the microscope.

They show us cars and jets and famous friends, so we assume that this is what their entire day is like. But what they are NOT showing us is where we should focus.

What they are NOT showing is where the magic happens.

Do The Work

We see the Rock’s massive build, but we don’t see the thousands of reps it took to get to that point.

The one thing that everybody who has accomplished anything has in common is that the real work didn’t happen in the spotlight. That lasts only minutes.

The real work happened in the shadows, and that is the work of a lifetime.

Why do people put in thousands of unsung hours? How do they grind out the reps each day, with no fanfare or recognition?

There are a number of skills required, but it all starts with one:

Belief

You must first believe in what you are doing; that it means something and has value. Even if that value is only to you alone.

This can be a vision of where you want to be in the future, or just for pure enjoyment of the activity – love of the game.

Consistency

To improve you must practice every day.

You’ve got to live it.

You can’t go into the shadows just once; you have to live there for a large part of your life.

Focus

Why work on something with only half a heart or half a mind?

When you go to the shadows you must give it your all. Focus relentlessly on your work and two things happen:

1. It gets done faster
2. It gets done better

This doesn’t only apply to how you work, but also what you work on.

Focus on one thing and kick ass at it. Or focus on many things and succeed at nothing.

Balance

It gets lonely, working in the shadows.

This needs to be balanced with friends, family, and good times. Think of them as micro-rewards. Or battery recharging sessions.

If you live your whole life inside your head you can forget what and who you are living for.

Let Go Of Your Expectations

This last one is huge.

You need to let go of any expectation of where your work will lead you down the line.

You’ve got to embrace the suck, love the boredom, and keep pushing because you find meaning in your work that satisfies you on a personal level.

Find satisfaction in the shadows so that you are not disappointed if you never make it into the spotlight.

And hold your head high that it was not from a lack of effort.

People you admire – they got into the spotlight by passing through the shadows.

Quit worrying about what other people are doing and focus on what you can do.

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P.S.

I participated in the Solo Creator Summit this week, hosted by Dennis Geelen and Hung Pham.

It was a great experience that was full of expert insights.

Check out the details at https://twitter.com/SoloCreatorHQ​

Sean

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