You are not special
The power of humility… and putting in the work everyone else is avoiding
In a world obsessed with shortcuts, hacks, and instant transformation, we forget that the slow climb is what actually builds competence, character, and lasting success. In the series Inventing Anna, Anna Delvey’s character reminds Vivian, the journalist over and over again, “You’re not special.” Originally, I though this was brutal advice, but the longer I sat with it, the more and more it started to resonate and actually become a steady drum beat in my own life, a mantra that I come back to time and time again for myself, my team, and even my own daughters (who, by the way, are the most special people ever in my opinion!!!). Here’s why though: Success in anything comes to those who consistently do the basic work everyone knows they should do, but few stick with long enough to see compound results.
You’re not special enough to skip the fundamentals, no one is. And, bonus!!! You don’t need to be.
We live in a time where you can almost snap your fingers and become anything you want. AI can do in seconds what used to take years to learn. GLP-1s can transform bodies without changing habits. There’s a shortcut for nearly everything.
And while some of these tools are incredible, I think the obsession with skipping steps is quietly messing people up.
Because there is real power in taking the stairs, literally and metaphorically.
When I started my career, I had to learn how to think. I had to learn how to communicate. I had to mess up more times than I can count:
I talked way too much in early sales demos before learning how to actually listen.
I ate shit handing in my first financial model to a boss who tore it apart.
I stumbled into a McKinsey-style case study I had no business doing and fumbled my way through.
None of it was pretty.
But those reps, the mistakes, the discomfort, the getting knocked down and getting back up… all of it compounded.
Over time, they built problem-solving strength, domain knowledge, pattern recognition, and above all maturity! Stripes I had to earn, scars that exist now to remind me of what not to do.
So by the time I was leading, it wasn’t because I was special. It was because I had put in enough reps to be capable.
And for the record, I used to think I was special. I used to think I could reinvent the wheel and make everything better. And yes, I still believe you can “yes and” what’s good and make it great.
But I also learned something important:
There is a lot of wisdom in grabbing systems that already work, scale, and deliver results, and executing them consistently instead of trying to shortcut or outsmart the fundamentals.
You are not special.
And that’s actually good news.
It’s good news because it means that success isn’t reserved for the gifted, the lucky, or the overnight sensations.
It’s reserved for the people willing to do the boring, basic work long enough for it to compound.
In my opinion, there are three areas in life where you truly cannot cheat the process:
Your body
Sure, you can take GLP-1s and drop weight quickly. But if you don’t address your lifestyle, your appetite, your habits, and your fitness — when you stop the drug, the weight comes right back. The fundamentals still matter.
Your family
You can’t raise good humans without being a good human yourself. You can’t shortcut presence, patience, or pouring into the people you love. Relationships are built slowly, through consistency.
Your career
The top 1% of women will make around ~$325K/year, the top 5% of women will make ~$175K/year. That doesn’t happen by accident. Your earning power is the compound result of:
Your willingness to learn
Your willingness to fail
Your willingness to take risks
Your ability to turn everyday experiences into lessons, systems, and opportunities
Impact turns into income over time, in almost zero cases does it turn into income over night.
There’s no hack for it. Just reps.
So as you move through life, here are a few fundamental truths I would urge you to keep in mind as it pertains to taking the stairs:
• Shortcuts rob you of the growth that actually makes you capable
• Mastery is built through reps, not talent or hacks
• The fundamentals work, and most people avoid them
• Humility + effort beats feeling “special” every time
• The compound effect is the real cheat code
“Luck” isn’t magic. Luck is where opportunity meets preparation. Luck is like a bus… you have to get yourself to the bus stop, even if it means climbing hills, going long stretches in inclement weather, and even having to take detours on your way.
The people who keep showing up, taking the stairs, doing the basics, and stacking small wins?
They’re the ones who seem “lucky” later. Not because they were special… because they were consistent.
