There’s a lot of garbage online about what it takes to become successful. Make millions by 30, retire early, follow this blueprint, use this hack, build an app that prints money….blah blah blah! 

That might work for a select few people, but that’s not how it works for 99% of people. There is one step you simply can’t skip: PAYING YOUR DUES.

Before I built a successful coaching business, I spent 20 years in tech sales. And I didn’t start at Salesforce. I started selling copiers door-to-door in Koreatown, knocking on 25 doors a day trying to set two meetings. If I knocked on 100 doors in a week, that might lead to 10 meetings, 4 opportunities, and 1 sale worth about $1,000 in commission.

So I started looking at every door knock like someone was handing me $10. 

Knock on a door, get $10. Knock on another door, get $10. Most doors went nowhere. Most people weren’t interested and many people didn’t speak English. I got security called on me more times than I can count and more parking tickets than I’d like to admit. But I kept knocking because I understood the math and trusted that if I consistently did the work, eventually the results would come.

Looking back, the money wasn’t even the most valuable thing I got from that experience. I was learning how to keep going even when I wasn’t getting an immediate reward. I was developing discipline, work ethic, grit, resilience, and the ability to do hard things when I didn’t feel like doing them. Every single day, day after day. Those qualities would serve me for the next 25 years.

They helped me become a top salesperson at Salesforce, even when I knew nothing about software. They helped me survive difficult territories, bad quarters, uncertainty, and difficult bosses. They helped me become the breadwinner for my family and continue showing up even when I was full of doubt. 

And when I eventually started my own business, those same qualities mattered even more. I’ve posted consistently on LinkedIn for 6.5 years. I’ve made videos every week on YouTube for 6 years. A LOT of that content went nowhere. Even today, some things I post barely get viewed. I don’t care. The goal was never to go viral; it was to show up consistently, provide value, and outlast the people who quit when they didn’t get immediate results.

Today my life looks very different. I have an amazing team and love the work I do.  I have freedom over my schedule. I can spend more time with my family, travel, exercise, and enjoy the life I’ve created. But none of this happened accidentally, and I definitely didn’t find some secret shortcut. It came from showing up day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year for 25 YEARS. And getting better every year from lots of repetition. 

That’s the part of success I think social media often leaves out. Everyone wants the reward, but very few people want the sacrifice required to become the person capable of creating that reward. They want the pot of gold without walking the long, uncertain, and sometimes painful trail which is often required to get there.

If you want to become top 1% at anything, stop looking for shortcuts. Pay your dues and do hard things every single day. Keep showing up when nobody is watching. Keep going when the results aren’t there yet. Become disciplined, hardworking, consistent, and resilient enough to weather the storms which will inevitably hit before massive success comes. 

There are no shortcuts. You don’t get the reward without the sacrifice. 

I know I didn’t!