Why work ethic will matter more than your masterclass ever will

… and probably cost a lot less.

Nearly all masterclass offerings are facades.

Paying a price for exclusive information or instruction does not translate or map to real world results. All it does is give you a library of really interesting information that you’ll temporarily consume and potentially apply. It’s the more expensive version of collecting physical books that look really cool but you’ll never take time out to read.

It’s the same thing as buying a signed Lebron James basketball. It won’t make you jump higher, and you certainly won’t score more. Other people might comment on how cool it is, and that’s always nice.

But it doesn’t make you LeBron.

And while the appeal of these sorts of illusionary shortcuts prompt some to fork over thousands of dollars/euros for the opportunity to feel informed and enlightened, there’s a far easier option to get your hands dirty and gain the insight you’re really looking for.

It’s just a two step process. It’s straight forward and usually accommodates a busy schedule. It does requires some time investment but you’ll save a lot of money in the process.

Here’s how to do it …

1. Do the work.
2. Prove you can do it (to yourself and others).

That’s it.

By doing the work, you pay with your time and your effort. You pigeonhole yourself to a timeline, define your ‘why’ and adopt the discipline to hold yourself accountable every single day. If your interest wanes, you can always pivot to something else or acknowledge that your current learning curve with that particular subject wasn’t strong or has come to an end.

You’ll also show other professionals the nature of your work ethic and how you’re evolving as a professional. Your micro and macro successes will derive from your own merit and not from the artificial satisfaction of proxy validation through things like a digital certification.

Even better, you’ll showcase a history of progress, activity and exploration through your ongoing narrative of applied work. You’ll have a body of evidence that will speak to your potential when you aren’t there to say it yourself. You can even share your experiences with others who join you along the way, highlighting your shared achievements in the same learning space.

And the best part?

Instead of seeking the attention of employers, thought leaders and contemporaries… the attention will start coming to you. On a long enough timeline, you’ll start to control the narrative about your reputation as a working professional. You’ll gain confidence in your ability to do what you enjoy while understanding where your limitations and boundaries are.

But it only happens if you apply yourself… even if just a little at first.

So if you really want to translate what you’re doing for clients, contemporaries, co-workers and c-suite executives, don’t say it with words. Show them what you can do.

• Schedule a participatory webinar about something you do well. You can use Zoom Webinar, broadcast it live via Restream.io or record it for a later release.
• Go live on YouTube or your Facebook business page with a new idea you have.
• Make short-form instructional videos on TikTok about various subjects.
• Hold a Q&A session live on Periscope.
• Write an informative article on LinkedIn with a downloadable PDF for offline reading and consideration
• Start a short podcast on a topic you want to talk about.

But whatever you do, get started.

No need to boil the ocean when you can take a few small, baby steps to see what happens next. Seek that micro level out to see what other levels are beyond that. Work through the mistakes and the setbacks. Learn and keep going. Prove to yourself that you’re capable first.

Once that’s done, you can show the world what you’re really made of.