The 'Work' is Non Negotiable
'There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.'
This is one of my all time favourite quotes.
And lately, I’ve been thinking about it even more. In recent weeks, people have reached out asking how I built the business, brand, and global platform I now have.
They’re looking for contacts, introductions, shortcuts, hacks… but they’re not asking the right question. (nor have they spent time getting to know me, supporting my work or showing any interest before they reached out).
They’re asking for the elevator.
But the elevator doesn’t exist.
What most people don’t see, is the years of repetition, failure, fear, and belief required to get to achieve success.
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Sara Blakely sold fax machines for years before Spanx was born.
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Howard Schultz got over 200 investor rejections before Starbucks took off.
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Oprah was fired and labeled “unfit for TV” early in her career.
Success is not a moment. It’s a staircase.
Each step is a season.
Each step is a decision.
Each step is a piece of your growth.
The stairs to success are made of work
I am currently obsessed with Emma Grede’s ASPIRE podcast and her no BS approach to growth and success. Recently, Emma shared 10 unfiltered truths about success. Emma's insights are below and I have also added an Imposter Syndrome lens.
1. Know what you don’t know
Self-awareness is a strength. Knowing where you lack gives you clarity and power. No one has all the answers and there is no such thing as perfection in business and/or career. High performers are built not born.
2. Leverage what you’ve got
Start where you are. It’s already enough. Resourcefulness matters more than readiness.
3. Always be yourself
Authenticity isn’t soft. It’s strategic. You don’t need to morph to fit the room. You belong as you are.
4. Deal with your baggage
Unresolved fear will keep sabotaging you. Until you unpack the story that created and/or keeps your Imposter Syndrome alive, it’ll keep repeating.
5. Take responsibility for your life
No one’s coming to hand you a plan. It’s yours to build. Worthiness isn’t given, it’s controlled by you alone.
6. You can only control yourself
The system may be imperfect. Control what you can. Stop managing perception and start mastering your self talk and performance.
7. You’ve got to take risks
Growth and comfort never co-exist. Fear doesn’t always mean stop. It often means stretch or you're on the right path.
8. The work is non-negotiable
You don’t get the outcome without the hours. Confidence is earned through evidence and Imposter Syndrome is conquered by Internalising and believing the evidence. Show up, again and again.
9. You can’t have it all at once
Success is sequential, not simultaneous. Overdoing is often fear dressed up as ambition. No one is superhuman. Stop, reflect, prioritise & focus on what matters NOW.
10. Always be learning
Curiosity is your advantage. You don’t need to be the expert to begin. You become the expert or consistent high performer by beginning.
So just a reminder:
There’s no elevator to success.
No hack.
No backdoor into belief.
You have to take the stairs.
But every step builds something: your voice, your value, your vision. That’s the work. That’s the path. That’s the reward.
Until next week.
