Every day at precisely 7:52pm, darkness descends on my New York City office as the overhead lights shut off. What is a bustle of activity a mere four hours earlier sits now a dark, empty piece of steel 36 floors above the streets of Manhattan. And on my desk sits a small table lamp, which I turn on. It is now that my day truly begins.
I don’t count my sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting because then it really counts. That’s what makes you a champion. – Muhammad Ali
So often, we go through life admiring others that have achieved great success, seemingly overnight. The Elon Musk, Michael Phelps, and Steve Jobs of the world. We routinely convince ourselves that this success is not obtainable for us. That the person has a capability that we simply do not possess. The gap between where we are today and these people who have achieved such great success seems to be a chasm that rivals the Grand Canyon. It is this gap that submits us into indecision, or worse yet, ingratiates our fears that we are inadequate. Not capable of being truly great. It’s the acceptance of this gap that disconnects us from the responsibility to act in our own lives.
Overnight Successes
So let’s examine overnight successes.
Together, the world saw Michael Phelps win 28 medals over 5 Olympics – 23 of them gold. And “overnight,” Michael Phelps became revered because of what he accomplished under the bright lights of Olympic stadiums.
And yet, 45 minutes is roughly the time it would take to watch all 28 of Michael Phelps’ Olympic medaling swims back to back. You can more quickly watch the entire, unparalleled Olympic career of Michael Phelps than you can watch a single episode of Westworld on HBO.
While we all saw Michael Phelps victorious under the bright lights of the Olympic Stadium, I see an individual who has conquered the dark. In every gold medal were hours, days, years of work in the dark – unreported, unexamined, unloved. When others went home and the lights turned off, Michael Phelps remained.
Turning on the Lamp
If you want to be great and stand in the light, you have to pursue excellence by becoming a master of the dark. You must revel in the unvalued, unglamorous, and unexamined aspect of your craft so that when your moment in the light arrives, you have put in the work to seize the opportunity.
At your 7:52pm, when all others have retired to watch Netflix, party, or sleep, I ask you to do one thing. One thing that will make you successful. Turn on the lamp. Because it’s what you do in the dark that will empower you to shine in the light.
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