Slow build

“Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity.”

TIIIIIIIIIMBERRRRRRRRR!

That’s what they’ll say as they watch you fall.

So many people try to build up and up as fast as they possibly can but they are missing a key feature of building the tallest tower:

A STRONG FOUNDATION.

The width and depth of your foundation is the most crucial part of achieving the highest structure.

Let me give you a little insight with my personal experience.

I have always had the itch to be in a better place than I am. I have always wanted to excel more than the average person. I strived to be above average, but never the best.

My thinking was if I became better than most people at most things, I would become the best. So I would learn a little about Spanish, Real Estate, Investing, Exercise, Writing, Leadership, and more. Whenever any of these things got boring I would move on to the next.

I thought that by learning a little of each thing I would be better than most people. Accurate? Only partially, here’s why:

I might be better than the average Real Estate investor in Spanish, but they blow me out of the water in Real Estate knowledge.

Let’s say the average person has a knowledge level of 1 at anything they haven’t spent time doing and the expert has a knowledge level of 10.

I might have a Spanish knowledge level of 6 and a Real Estate knowledge level of 4, but an expert with a Real Estate knowledge level of 10 will be much more valuable than me.

EXPERTISE IS MORE VALUABLE THAN GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.

I realized that I had an issue. I was spending too much time widening and widening my base and forgot to build up. Yes, like I said, a wide and deep base knowledge is extremely important in building the height of your structure, but if you only continue to build sideways you will never get as high as you want.

For me, it is time to build up.

For others, foundation building is necessary.

Riskier people like to jump into something quickly. They like to go all in before getting all of the necessary knowledge needed to be successful. The risky route will result in more loss and more failure. For ambitious people, it works out. Ambitious people always find a way to get back on their feet. But for some, the failure may put them out of commission.

To determine the depth and width of your base, you must establish where your interests lie.

If you look at some of the best businessmen, they don’t just know business. They understand all the aspects of business including: marketing, sales, accounting, leadership, human behavior. These all tie in to one another, but each skill needs to be built up separately.

Once you have laid that foundation, you must slowly place bricks by gaining knowledge on each topic.

Think of each hour spent on that topic as another brick placed on the tower. It is a slow build to get where you want to be, but the more time and effort you put in, the faster it goes.

DON’T UNDERVALUE THE BASICS.

There is a story I hear about Kobe Bryant all the time. People talked about how Kobe would spend hours in the gym practicing footwork, layups, and simple jump shots. He spent more time than anyone else practicing these so-called simple skills but that was why he was one of the best at what he did.

He never undervalued the basics.

The things that have gotten me to the level I am at are the simple habits I do everyday.

Drinking water, exercising, meditating, writing, blogging, tracking progress, reading, all have made me into the person I am.

I get discouraged often when I feel like I am getting nowhere. Sometimes you do the same thing everyday and it doesn’t feel like you are getting anywhere. One thing I’ve learned from Alex Hormozi is:

SOMETIMES YOU’RE DOING THE RIGHT THINGS, JUST NOT ENOUGH OF THEM.

You might be doing exactly what you need to to get where you want to be, but just not enough. Like I said, the only 2 things that can make you an expert faster are time and effort.

Here’s a simple 3 step method I have used for myself:

1. Figure out what you want

2. Figure out what you need to get there

3. Focus on doing those things as much as you can

It is extremely simplified, but it is spot on.

Determine what you want, determine what you need, do it.

It is as simple as taking action and taking it more often.

Every time you get down on yourself for where you are, remind yourself it’s a slow build.

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Good things take time.

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Thank you for reading!

My goal is to inspire self-improvement in others through my personal stories and experiences.

This is The Exploration.