If you've ever attended a Metallica concert, then you know there is a very distinct moment that gives you a warning that the show is about to start. When you hear the sound, it means you have about four minutes and thirty-seven seconds to get to your seat, find your place on the floor, or just start stretching your neck out to headbang because it's about to get going.
That warning is in the form of a song by the Australian rock band AC/DC called 'It's a Long Way to the Top If You Want to Rock 'n Roll.' In the early 90s, Metallica started playing this song before they took the stage as a way to symbolize the hard work, tireless nights, and effort it takes to be a band at the top of their game.
I love the song, but more importantly, I love what it all stands for. People think that success is easy. For whatever reason, people think they can half-ass their approach to their career, and then they wonder why they haven't achieved the level of success they believe they should have. To say it more clearly — I think people are delusional.
If I asked you to name the three most successful people in the world and then asked you to tell me how hard it was for them to get there, I guarantee you would only be able to articulate about one percent of the blood, sweat, and tears that went into them achieving that position. We discredit the sleepless nights, the stress, the anxiety, the emotion, the grit, and so much more when we see people achieve success. We think it should just sort of happen to us because we went into the office at 6am for a few months. Wrong.
It's so much harder than you think to actually become the version of yourself that you want to become. And in many cases, you don't even know how much work goes into it until you start. Then you have to raise the bar, and raise the bar again, and keep raising it.
The lyrics in that AC/DC song name all of these events that take place for a band on the journey to stardom — getting robbed, getting stoned, getting beat up, broken boned, getting had, getting took. And that line: 'It's harder than it looks.' Just feels so real, because it is.
This isn't my way of saying you shouldn't strive to achieve your ultimate end goals. It's my way of saying if you're going to do it, you better be prepared to work harder than you ever imagined possible. And if you do, you will be proud of the achievements.
The alarms go off earlier. The wins take longer. The feedback stings more than you expected. The days you feel like quitting outnumber the days you feel like you are crushing it. That's the part no one posts about, no one glamorizes, and no one warns you about when they tell you to just go for it. So if you are serious about wanting more, respect the vertical climb. Respect the consistency. Respect the discipline required. Respect the nights where no one is watching and nothing feels rewarding yet. That is the cost of admission. It is a long way to the top. Always has been.