Every now and then, and it is very rare, someone will say to me, “I want to be successful like you.”
Honestly, it always catches me off guard.
I don’t think of myself as anything special. I am not someone who’s “arrived.” I’m still very much on a journey. I’ve accomplished some goals, yes—but I’m still reaching, still growing, still in the process of becoming the best I can possibly be in the time I have here on earth.
But when confronted with this recently it made me pause and ask: What is it that has actually made the difference for me?
Here’s what came to mind first:
I’ve always been willing to work without being paid.
If you’re in commission-based sales—or any kind of long-game pursuit—you already know what I mean. The payday comes last. After the prep, the follow-up, the objections, the reschedules, and sometimes… after the whole deal falls apart. No paycheck. No “thanks.”
Some people are not willing to do that. And, that’s ok. (My willingness to work doesn’t mean I’ll drive an unqualified buyer around every weekend. That’s not the unpaid work that pays dividends later!)
The Real Work
REAL unpaid work is where the real growth happens.
- It’s in volunteering and serving the Board of Realtors.
- It’s in showing up in support of a community organization.
- It’s in solving a client’s problem when no current transaction is involved.
- It’s in practicing scripts, studying personalities, preparing for appointments, and learning how to speak with confidence in front of a group.
None of that work paid a dollar at the time. But it all paid dividends later.
What’s carried me forward is a fire to figure things out, to get better, and to follow through with energy and intent. I’m clear on why I’m learning what I’m learning. I know my goal. Even my rest and recreation is on purpose. I know eventually I’ll get a payoff for the effort.
“If you want what we have, go where we go—and do what we do.”
Success leaves clues.
This is the mindset and the path that worked for me. It’s not magic. It’s not luck. It’s willingness.
Willingness to invest unpaid time into becoming the person who can earn what you want to earn and do what you want to do.
“First we learn, then we earn.” – Tim Wood
And that’s been 100% true for me.
Reflection Prompt
Are you willing to put in the work when no one is watching—and no one is paying?
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— Mark Dolan
Founder, Time Tested Mastery
www.TimeTestedMastery.com