During my Eid family visits, I always look forward to visiting my rich uncle.
My uncle is a wealthy CEO of a real estate investment management company that deals with international clients.
As a highly successful investment strategist, he’s executed more than US$3.5 billion over the last 10 years.
Driven, intelligent and extraordinarily wealthy – he’s more than just an outlier, he’s a role model.
And everyone in the family always cites his name when they talk about what’s possible if you work hard and achieve your goals.
So every year, I always take the opportunity to glean a few ‘success tips’ from him when I stop by his bungalow.
Fresh off Liverpool’s recent championship victory, my uncle explained how successful people don’t just ‘go to work’, they show up to play.
‘The most important thing is to choose a game you love to play. Not everyone is built for the real-estate business like me. You have to first find a game you are passionate about.’
‘Then after you’ve found it, you put on your jersey, lace your boots and show up like a professional.’
‘It doesn’t matter what others think about you or how bad you are in the beginning – just focus on showing up, every single day, like a professional.
Other people will have their own standards, but you have to become obsessively focus on YOUR OWN performance’.
‘If you want to be a champion in your field then you must remember: you’re not paid for your time, you’re paid for your performance.’
‘When you’re a champion-caliber pro athlete, your performance is not just in the way you play the game. It’s the way you train, the way you greet people, the clothes you wear, the teachers you listen to, the books you read, the people you surround yourself with.’
‘In every facet of the performance, you have to bring your A-game, every single day, rain or shine, paid or pro-bono.’
‘And you don’t just show up because you’re paid. You show up because you’re preparing yourself.’
‘…Preparing yourself for the big opportunity that will come eventually as a result of you showing up.’
I asked him: when did that big opportunity happen for you?
He said: ‘At 40.’
He was already approaching 60.
I was surprised. I’ve always thought he was a high-flyer from a young age. Turns out, he wasn’t.
He was hustling way longer than he was wealthy.
‘It took me twenty years of just performing, every single day, before I had that golden opportunity to work with wealthy investors from the Middle East – and that was it.’
I’m always grateful for the little encouragement I have with my uncle. Even though we’re not close, I feel lucky to be able to learn from him.
As usual, I left his house a little bit more energized about my vision than when I came.
It made me reflect on this: champions are made not just because they outperform everyone else – but it’s because they out-show-up everyone else.
Peak performers show up, and keep showing up. And when they show up, they bring it.
It’s funny how no matter how many times I’m reminded of this fact, it always feels like I’m learning it for the first time.
It’s great to be reminded that wisdom can be mined not just from new knowledge but also new perspectives.
Summary
If you want to be a champion in your field then you must remember: you’re not paid for your time, you’re paid for your performance.
You don’t show up because you’re paid. You show up because you’re preparing yourself for the big opportunity that will come eventually as a result of you showing up.
Champions are made not just because they outperform everyone else – but it’s because they out-show-up everyone else.
During my Eid family visits, I always look forward to visiting my rich uncle.
My uncle is a wealthy CEO of a real estate investment management company that deals with international clients.
As a highly successful investment strategist, he’s executed more than US$3.5 billion over the last 10 years.
Driven, intelligent and extraordinarily wealthy – he’s more than just an outlier, he’s a role model.
And everyone in the family always cites his name when they talk about what’s possible if you work hard and achieve your goals.
So every year, I always take the opportunity to glean a few ‘success tips’ from him when I stop by his bungalow.
Fresh off Liverpool’s recent championship victory, my uncle explained how successful people don’t just ‘go to work’, they show up to play.
‘The most important thing is to choose a game you love to play. Not everyone is built for the real-estate business like me. You have to first find a game you are passionate about.’
‘Then after you’ve found it, you put on your jersey, lace your boots and show up like a professional.’
‘It doesn’t matter what others think about you or how bad you are in the beginning – just focus on showing up, every single day, like a professional.
Other people will have their own standards, but you have to become obsessively focus on YOUR OWN performance’.
‘If you want to be a champion in your field then you must remember: you’re not paid for your time, you’re paid for your performance.’
‘When you’re a champion-caliber pro athlete, your performance is not just in the way you play the game. It’s the way you train, the way you greet people, the clothes you wear, the teachers you listen to, the books you read, the people you surround yourself with.’
‘In every facet of the performance, you have to bring your A-game, every single day, rain or shine, paid or pro-bono.’
‘And you don’t just show up because you’re paid. You show up because you’re preparing yourself.’
‘…Preparing yourself for the big opportunity that will come eventually as a result of you showing up.’
I asked him: when did that big opportunity happen for you?
He said: ‘At 40.’
He was already approaching 60.
I was surprised. I’ve always thought he was a high-flyer from a young age. Turns out, he wasn’t.
He was hustling way longer than he was wealthy.
‘It took me twenty years of just performing, every single day, before I had that golden opportunity to work with wealthy investors from the Middle East – and that was it.’
I’m always grateful for the little encouragement I have with my uncle. Even though we’re not close, I feel lucky to be able to learn from him.
As usual, I left his house a little bit more energized about my vision than when I came.
It made me reflect on this: champions are made not just because they outperform everyone else – but it’s because they out-show-up everyone else.
Peak performers show up, and keep showing up. And when they show up, they bring it.
It’s funny how no matter how many times I’m reminded of this fact, it always feels like I’m learning it for the first time.
It’s great to be reminded that wisdom can be mined not just from new knowledge but also new perspectives.
Summary
If you want to be a champion in your field then you must remember: you’re not paid for your time, you’re paid for your performance.
You don’t show up because you’re paid. You show up because you’re preparing yourself for the big opportunity that will come eventually as a result of you showing up.
Champions are made not just because they outperform everyone else – but it’s because they out-show-up everyone else.