Show Up When It Counts

What separates the rockstars from the amateurs

I guarantee all successful people have this one thing in common.

I won’t make you read this entire thing for the answer. In fact, it’s the title of this post:

Show up when it counts.

Getting to the championship is one thing. Winning is another. Hitting a buzzer beater to win is another still. It’s what separates Michael Jordan from Luc Longley. Sports are an easy analogy (more on that later), but this law applies everywhere.

In a previous life I had a brief foray into artist management. There are certain things one looks for in an artist: a look; a sound; a point of view — some indication of an X-factor. As my partner and I began adding to our roster of clients, I noticed one thing that made the successful ones stand out: When we got them a gig, set up a meeting with an executive, or got them in the studio, they showed up and killed it. Whether they were playing to two people or 20,000, they brought it.

Along with writing this nonsense, I’m also an actor, and know what it’s like to be expected to perform on command. Auditions are a perfect example. For those who have never done it before, here’s that jovial experience:

• Memorize lines and find the character with…