You get out what you put in.

Don't get stuck in Stage 1.

Dear Friend & Subscriber-

It's easy to get stuck in a perpetual loop of small efforts and small wins; I call this "Stage 1".

Stage 1 is great.

Stage 1 is showing up.

Stage 1 is the first step.

Stage 1 is crucial for growth.

But Stage 1 is where growth starts, not stops.

Yes, showing up is the first step. But there are more steps. And, over time, you realize the rewards you're reaping from Stage 1 aren't as impressive as they were the first time around.

I was reminded of this truth 3x: with running, CannaVenture, and the grow.

First, while running, I often listen to an app with trainers who guide you through your run. I find this helpful as an encouragement, but also insightful as it relates to the mentality of your effort. There is often talk about switching your mindset to a positive focus: you get to do this, rather than feeling obligated or required to do so.

During my run, I was reminded by the trainer that you have to do more than show up if you want to grow.

Literally, this makes sense. You don't get better by doing the same thing every time. Like a plant, your growth changes over time, as does the energy to fuel that growth.

You get out what you put in.

Show up. Go through the motions. Clock out.

That'll get you brownie points. That'll get you a gold star. That will help you hit your weekly goal.

But showing up alone won't get you to the next stage.

Stage 2. Stage 3. Stage 106. It doesn't matter what stage you're progressing to.

In order to continue to level up, to continue to grow as an individual, as a grower, as a professional, you have to go beyond "showing up."

Don't get it twisted: you should be proud that you showed up for your run. For your grow. For your job.

But don't get it twisted: showing up is the expectation, not the achievement.

What are you achieving when you show up?

For me, the kick in the ass came from a conversation with my girlfriend about my events. Each year, I evaluate my efforts and results, but it's easy to get blindsided by the latter, forgetting the former. It's easy to focus on the results, and ignore the inputs.

I was "showing up" for my events, and I was seeing Stage 1 results.

My loyal supporters were there. My die-hard enthusiasts were there. But my casual participants weren't present.

You get out what you put in.

As tough as it was to hear, getting called out on the effort I was putting in, put the results I was getting out of it into perspective.

And, if we are being honest, I was putting in less effort than I had previously, and I was seeing it reflected in my results.

Just like running, "showing up" only showed results for so long. Like anything, there's a plateau. To get off that plateau, you have to want to keep climbing higher, which requires putting in more effort.

I kept hearing these words over and over again, and seeing their application throughout my life.

The same thing was happening in the grow. I was showing up. But I wasn't putting nearly the amount of effort into my growth as I once was.

It's easy for the grow (or anything in life) to become routine, and that routine counts on us showing up, but following the routine also means you'll continue to get routine results.

The month of April flew by. I was traveling every week. Work was nonstop. The grow was being cared for by my girlfriend and friends who would pop in if we both were out of town.

Feeding the plants became my sole venture into the grow; I "showed up" just enough for the plants to get what they needed.

Now, "showing up" is great once your setup is dialed in. Not every setup requires constant attention, day in and day out. But going above and beyond what you need to do requires more than Stage 1 involvement.

Going beyond Stage 1 means taking the time to pause, observe, and act upon those observations, not just follow the instructions and feeding schedule you left yourself.

Was I taking measurements? Sure.

Was I making sure the plants had enough food? Of course.

Was I cleaning up the space as needed? Sure.

You get out what you put in.

Whatever the task is, it's not just about checking it off the list.

It's not just about going for the run; it's about seeing if you can sustain that tempo pace just a bit longer.

It's not just about throwing an event; it's about working to make it better than the last event you hosted.

It's not just about feeding your plants; it's about constantly looking for ways to improve your efforts.

Going beyond Stage 1 means you not only showed up for the task at hand, but you did so with intent to better yourself and the world around you in the process.

Don't get stuck in Stage 1.

Start there.

Then push yourself to go further.

You get out what you put in.

Until next week,

Ben "Here For More" Owens