We’re right in the middle of the holidays — Christmas now, New Year’s coming up fast. This is the time of year when routines get thrown off, schedules get messy, and motivation can dip if you’re not paying attention.

So the message today is simple.

Show up.

That’s it.

This is Grant Cardone’s number one rule of success, and I had to be reminded of it recently because I could feel myself slowing down. That happens. Anyone building something real goes through it.

One of my mentors told me, “Go back and review the rules of success.” So I did. And the very first one hit me immediately.

You just have to show up.

Why This Hit Home

A couple of weeks ago, I was in Miami for a full week. I took PTO — and this is what I do on PTO. I don’t just sit on the beach. I go all in on training and growth with the mindset of "pay the price now so you can pay any price in the future".

I spent six out of seven days in:

• A marketing essentials workshop

• A sales essentials workshop

• A 10X business coach mastermind

Hands down, some of the best training I’ve ever been through. This was my second time training with the 10X coaches, and it was phenomenal.

But here’s what most people don’t see.

Midway through Day 2, I got food poisoning. Bad. I was completely out of commission for two days. I still attended half of the second day of the sales workshop (Day 4 of the trip), albeit virtually, just trying to push through.

On top of that, even though I was technically on PTO, I ended up working until 1:30 AM on Day 5 of the trip (the only day I was supposed to truly be off), putting out fires at my day job.

By the time the coaching mastermind started (Day 6), I didn’t want to walk back into that room. Physically, I felt terrible. Mentally, I was exhausted. And honestly, I had a bit of PTSD from being that sick in the same space earlier in the week.

Every excuse not to show up was there.

Showing Up Anyway

That’s when the rule came back.

Show up.

Not show up perfect.
Not show up motivated.
Just show up.

So I went.

And oh what a difference that made!

At the first day of the 10X Business Coach Mastermind, something unexpected happened — Grant Cardone himself showed up. Nobody was expecting it. Not even the people running the event! And he told a story I hadn’t heard before.

When he was 25, he was getting beat up in the marketplace. He was losing more money than he could bear, and he was about to throw in the towel.

That night, he prayed and said, “God, show me a sign — and make it clear. Because if this doesn’t work, I can’t keep doing this. I need some income to stay afloat.”

The next day, he saw a literal sign: Salt Lake City, Utah.

He didn’t overthink it. He got on a plane. No plan. No guarantee. And guess what happened? HE LANDED A MASSIVE CLIENT that turned everything around for him!

And ONLY because he showed up was I sitting in that room years later hearing his story.

One Conversation That Changed Everything

The next day (Day 7 - final day of the trip), while we were waiting for the training to start, I saw a guy sitting by himself, and I decided to introduce myself.

His name was Alex, and he asked what I did and where I'm from.

I told him I’m a civil engineer, real estate investor, and coach, and that I live in Southern California but am planning to move, still not 100% sure on where.

He looked at me and said, “No way! Have you ever considered Dallas?”

He lives in the Dallas area, owns 19 properties, is also a 10X business coach, and is starting a fund to raise capital so he can develop several acres of land attached to his properties. And guess who the one person is that he still needs on his team? YUP, you guessed it - a civil engineer!

When we broke for lunch, Alex didn’t even get food. He came straight over to me, sat down, and talked my ear off for an hour because he was so fired up about the prospect of working together. He even offered to drive me to the airport that evening so we could continue our conversation.

So after getting sick, working at my day job until 1:30 AM, not wanting to show up, being told to rewatch the rules of success which convinced me to show up, hearing about how Grant showed up.... the end result was worth 100X the cost of the trip and the hardships I went through to show up.

Alignment You Can’t Plan

I've been looking for a way to blend my 9 years of engineering experience with real estate investing, a way to bring in more operational income, and a way to scale up my portfolio through multifamily apartments. This is the perfect blend, and it appears Alex has put together the perfect team.

Since Miami, we've been on the phone nonstop, and we even had a virtual meeting with the other 3 potential business partners. As I write this blog, I'm sitting in a hotel room in Dallas. Tomorrow I'm going to meet the team in person, see the properties, and start talking details. We're all so fired up about this, and things are happening fast, and that is okay. In fact, it's better than okay. It's INCREDIBLE.

None of this would have happened if I didn’t show up. And let's not forget this important fact: this wasn’t even a real estate event. It was a business coaching training. And yet it may have led to a long-term partnership with someone who already has land, a team, and a vision.

The Message for Christmas Week

I didn’t feel good.
I didn’t feel motivated.
I didn’t want to be there.

But I showed up anyway.

And sometimes that’s all that’s required.

If you’re tired this week, show up tired.
If you’re off your routine, show up anyway.
If you’re discouraged, don’t disappear.

It only takes one conversation, one connection, or one moment to make it worth it.

That’s the reminder for this Christmas week and the new year ahead.

Show up.

Everything else comes after.

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