Time Is Going to Pass Either Way... Start Now
A mindset that helped me keep going - and can help you too.
Growth is slow… Until it’s not.
I’ve been writing on Substack since January this year. And I’ll be honest… at first, I had no idea what I was doing. Growth felt nonexistent. I posted anyway. I kept writing. I didn’t always feel like showing up, but I did.
Over time, something started to click. I figured out how the platform worked. I learned how to share my content better, how to tag it, how to get it in front of the right people. I didn’t follow some perfect strategy… I just kept adjusting and trying things.
Then today, I got a notification:
That floored me. It’s a category I’ve been intentionally tagging, but I didn’t think I’d ever see that kind of recognition. I don’t know how long I’ll stay ranked… but it meant something. A small signal that I’m on the right path.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
- Aristotle
Just last night, while watching Modern Family with my wife before we went to bed, another notification popped up: I had just got my first paid subscriber!
My first paid subscriber. I thought it was a mistake at first. I checked again the next morning… it was real. I reached out to say thank you. I followed and subscribed to them out of appreciation.
It was just one person. But it meant the world to me.
None of this happened because I had some master plan. It happened because I stayed consistent. I kept showing up… even when I didn’t feel like it.
That’s what creates results. Not motivation. Discipline.
If you only do what you feel like doing, you’re screwed.
- David Goggins
There are still plenty of days I don’t feel like going to the gym, writing, or building my business. But I do it anyway. I may not give 100% every time, but I show up. And showing up consistently will always outperform waiting for motivation to strike.
I remind myself often: Time is going to pass either way.
Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. - Viktor Frankl
If something takes six months… those six months are still going to pass. So why not start today?
Getting in shape takes time.
Building something meaningful takes time.
Writing on Substack takes time.
Finding people who understand you takes time.
But it all starts with one decision: Show up today.
Even if it’s slow.
Even if it’s imperfect.
Even if it’s scary.
Because one day, everything might just click… and the results will feel like they happened all at once.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.
- Chinese Proverb