I logged into Soundcloud yesterday and was pleasantly surprised.  Soundcloud is the hosting platform for Delivering Marketing Joy.  So each time I create a new episode, I strip away the audio and upload just that so that people can listen on their favorite podcasting app.

Why was I pleasantly surprised?  Numbers.

When I logged in, I saw that I had “404 plays” in the last 7 days.  And while for many content creators this number would be small, I was thrilled.  I don’t promote this channel.  So that means over the past 7 days 404 people listened to content I had created without any prompting from me.  It was a proud moment.

Let me add a layer to this so it doesn’t just come off as a “humblebrag.”  As of the time I am writing this, I have 525 tracks on Soundcloud.  So while I am proud of the 404 “plays,” it means that there was not even a listen for each track.

It’s a lesson on the power of compounding effort.

In nearly every endeavor, there is a simple secret to success.  “Just keeping going.”  No matter what the new goal is, most people will quit when it becomes hard, they get scared, or life gets in the way.  If you keep going through what Seth Godin calls “The Dip” you will emerge on the other side as the expert.

In addition to simply outlasting the competition, you also begin to receive the benefit of compounding effort.  This is when little things, almost unnoticeable things, start to stack up over time.  You don’t notice them at the time…and neither does almost anyone else.  But those little successes start to mount.  They start to compound.

Most people want to see results so quickly.  I am impatient by nature…so I get it.  But real progress often takes real time.

• You don’t get 6 pack abs in 2 weeks.
• Sales will not start to roll in after 20 cold calls.
• You will not create a loyal base of followers with 5 blog posts.

It’s not easy.  It’s not overnight.  But if you keep going when others don’t, your efforts will compound.  Then one day down the road, you will see real results you can be proud of.

If you interested in putting in the work to level up, please feel free to check out the new Better Business University.  We are creating an affordable, online education platform that will help you (and your team) grow.  Learn more here.