The Right Way To Be All In

Many people who are ambitious or growth-oriented have an ‘all or nothing’ mindset. When things are on, they’re on and it generates an unstoppable force forward. But the second that momentum is lost, or something bumps them off trajectory, it all falls apart. They completely fall off their commitment. And it’s unfortunate because this means progress is never sustained, it’s constantly being undone and redone in a way that’s high effort and low pay off. 

The ‘all or nothing’ mindset is based on a misunderstanding of what it means to be “all in”. What it’s not is being fully committed to taking action at all costs. That approach sets people up for failure. Life is too unpredictable for everything to always work out exactly how you want it to. Our action is often the byproduct of our environment, which is too variable to rely on.

What’s far more practical is staying fully committed to showing up at all costs. And that’s because showing up means different things within different conditions. In one setting it could be the effortful approach to follow through and do the hard thing. But in another it could be re-engaging with the commitment after life happened, and getting back on track when you get knocked off.

That’s not to say that being ‘all in’ on something is easy. It’s painful to look at the instances where you didn’t meet expectations. And it’s precisely that pain that causes people to stay disengaged. The embarrassment and shame is a big hit to their self-esteem, and they unconsciously avoid accepting any shortcomings because of what it might mean about them. But by having the commitment to show up, look at their weaknesses, and be honest with themselves, they can work through it and get back to doing their best. 

To put it simply, to be ‘all in’ means that you’re committed to never quitting. That no matter how bad things get or how far you fall behind, you’re still in the game. That you refuse to let setbacks get in the way of creating what you see for yourself.

Our growth process isn’t going to be perfect. We can’t expect it to be. Which is why we need to stay in the game, accept that there are going to be ups and downs along the way, but never lose sight of what we’re building towards. 

Being ‘all in’ is a spectrum of showing up in the way that you need to, whatever action that might be, as your next step forward. And as long as you never stop showing up, you’ll always be right where you need to be - giving yourself another opportunity to grow.

If you're ready to start being more consistent and dedicated to being your best on a daily basis (rather than just when you feel like it), click here to sign up for the 21 Day Super Habits Challenge.