Consistency is a lonely road.
Work is a steady grind that few see or appreciate.
Most of our working lives we are invisible.
The truth is, much of our working lives unfold in obscurity.
Our friends, family, and even our closest coworkers rarely witness the real work—the hours of effort, practice, mistakes, and problem-solving that shape our expertise and fuel our growth.
And that’s a huge advantage. Here’s why:
Consistency
Whether it’s a hobby, a sport, a fitness routine, or your professional career, progress is built on one thing: consistency.
Learning to show up every day—whether it’s to your desk, the gym, or the field—won’t earn you instant recognition or a round of applause. Nor do you want it to.
What it will earn you is calluses.
These calluses, both mental and physical, are the byproducts of repetition, resilience, and hard-earned experience. They’re what make you better. Consider the welder on a construction site: their precision didn’t appear overnight; it came from years of welding, project after project, and likely starting as a mistake prone apprentice. The accountant who can reconcile books in their sleep learned through countless month-end closings, audits, and kicking the tires on countless trial balances. The artist, the athlete, the entrepreneur—all masters of their craft—became great not through flashes of brilliance but through the discipline of repeated effort.
Mastery
It’s natural to crave recognition for the work we do.
But here’s the thing: you don’t need applause every time you complete a workout, file a tax return, or finish a grueling shift at the quarry. The true reward lies in the completed work.
The real appreciation comes from knowing that you can do the work. That you have the skills, the grit, and the discipline to finish the job—day after day. Every paycheck, every opportunity to contribute your expertise, is proof that someone has chosen you to tackle the hard, complex, and critical tasks. That’s an honor we often overlook.
In a market economy, the best rise to the top. The best welders, bakers, accountants, and entrepreneurs earn their place not because they seek accolades, but because they’ve shown up—consistently, relentlessly, and with excellence.
Don’t start to judge the master painter or carpenter by their outward appearance. They likely will look dirty, grimy, and tired from the countless years of hard work with little to no fan fare. I knew a union welder, master in his craft, from his early 20s to this 60s he welded on construction sites – wore dirty jeans, ratty tee shirts, and Carhartts. He drove beat up cars until they surpassed 300,000 miles. He was a craftsman who started out doing the grunt work and ended doing the trapeze welding work on high rise buildings. They don’t pay those folks $10 per hour for that kind of mastery work either. No, add a few zeros behind it.
Long Term Horizons
Consistency might not always feel glamorous, but it’s the foundation of every success story.
It’s what separates fleeting effort from lasting impact.
So, keep showing up.
So, keep grinding away at your work.
Keep doing the work, even when no one is watching. Especially when no one is watching.
Because in the end, those invisible hours are what create the visible results that matter most.
Did people see Abraham Lincoln reading by candlelight any book he could get his hands on as a young adult or his self study of law to become a prairie lawyer without formal training? No, he toiled away in obscurity and countless hours of no one noticing the hard work. Yet you know his name today because of those hours.
Ryan Stemen, MBA 