Success Is About Showing Up
The bare minimum for success is showing up consistently to do the work. You can’t be successful without putting in the work. But you can’t even put in the work if you don’t show up. So show up first.
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After World War II, Berlin was divided into East and West due to tensions between the Soviet Union and Western Allies. The Berlin Wall, built in 1961, physically and politically cemented this ideological split that would extend into the Cold War.
But on the evening of November 9, 1989, Günter Schabowski, a senior East German official held a press conference to address growing public demands for freedom of movement across Berlin.1 The government faced mounting pressure to address public dissatisfaction, so they hastily implemented a travel policy.
In the hot seat of the inquiring press, and uninformed of the policy details, Günter
Schabowski, a German politician mistakenly announced that East German citizens could immediately cross into West Germany without restrictions.
When asked about when the new policy would take effect, he replied, “As far as I know, it takes effect immediately, without delay.” This unexpected announcement was broadcast widely, leading thousands of East Berliners to gather at the Berlin Wall’s checkpoints, demanding passage into West Berlin.
The border guards, unprepared and lacking clear instructions, were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. Fearing escalation, they eventually opened the gates, allowing East and West Berliners to cross freely.
Performative Productivity Theory
“Performative productivity theory” refers to the idea that people sometimes prioritize activities that appear productive, even if they don’t actually contribute meaningfully to their goals.
These actions are meant to give the impression of being busy and engaged—but are essentially “fake work” to maintain an industrious image. Sometimes driven by workplace or cultural pressures to look busy rather than be truly productive. This is also sometimes called “fauxductivity.”.
While these actions can create a temporary impression of progress, they often fail to produce meaningful results because they’re performative. Ego lifting is one example of how you can do “fake work” that creates the impression of progress, but actually doesn’t contribute to your goals.
The reason why we engage in performative productivity is often because we want to be perceived as productive. Influencing how others see us in a psychological phenomenon called impression management, and is the root of fauxductivity.
The Costs of Impression Management
Erving Goffman was a sociologist who developed the theory of impression management.2 This theory describes how people try to influence how others perceive them, either consciously or unconsciously.
Impression management involves being more focused on upholding an image for others rather than focusing on doing the work itself to make progress.
Throughout my life I’ve seen examples in myself and my peers doing this: going to the library, but not working. Arriving at the gym for a life, but giving a half-assed effort. These are classic examples of actions that are more about looking disciplined, hardworking, or dedicated in the eyes of others than actually doing the work.
This unconscious psychological bias that makes us overestimate how much others notice and judge our actions is called the spotlight effect.
For example, when I’ve gotten out of shape, and go for a run for the first time in a while, I feel like everybody is staring at me. I might think everyone is watching and scrutinizing my form—when, in reality, they’re likely focused on themselves.
80% of Success is Showing Up
There are some specific elements of performance productivity and impression management that are good. The biggest being actually showing up to do the work—which is often the hardest part.
For example, when I write, the hardest part is literally just sitting down at my desk to write. Once I force myself into my desk chair, my mind does the rest. Steven Pressfield, author of “War of Art” has a similar perspective: “It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write.”3
There are countless examples from successful people who echo the sentiment that success is about showing up. Woody Allen famously said that “80% of success is showing up”.
Doing one thing well—to the best of your ability—for a long time is in itself success. Regardless of the outcome.
So don’t beat yourself up if you show up but and don’t do the work every once in a while. But if you want to make consistent progress, you have to show up and put in the work.
Conclusion
I love the story about how the Berlin Wall wall. The German government’s projection of stability and control over the situation is ultimately what led to its fall.
For us, the lesson learned is that the bare minimum for success is showing up consistently to do the work. You can’t be successful without putting in the work. But you can’t even put in the work if you don’t show up. So show up first. And put in the work second.
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Peace out,
Grant ✌️
https://monoskop.org/images/1/19/Goffman_Erving_The_Presentation_of_Self_in_Everyday_Life.pdf
“The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield