Did you know there was a guy smarter than Einstein? Do you know his name? I don’t remember it. Why? Because talent doesn’t equate to success. I personally know a lot of talented people who waste their lives…brilliant people. Why? They aren’t willing to do what’s necessary to succeed. Here are a few tips to get you ahead of the pack:

Show up. When trying to accomplish something, just show up! Doing that will put you ahead of the curve. Many people don’t even bother trying. Woody Allen once said, “80% of success is just showing up.” When faced with a tough request, show up and ask (this often works best in person). Letting your voice be heard and getting an audience for your cause can take you far.

Build it. According to Field of Dreams, “If you build it, he will come.” Build it, write it, say it. Just do it! If you never do it, there will never be any success. I started writing this blog for myself as an accountability tool, as a way to write down my leadership observations. I was astounded when a few months later I noticed there were actually numbers in the statistics box. Building the foundation of your dreams will aid in your success.

Follow through. Mary Kay Ash stated, “Those who are blessed with the most talent don’t necessarily outperform everyone else. It’s the people with follow-through who excel.” Sometimes the most talented people never succeed. Their talent burns so bright that they don’t develop any discipline to follow through. The key to not letting your goals fizzle out is to follow through on them.

Follow up. The brother of follow through is follow up. After meeting new people, giving a sales pitch, or just having coffee with a business associate, always follow up. This connects you to people and sets you apart from all the other people they meet. Many fail at follow-up; therefore, by just doing this simple step, you will move closer to your goals than the person who forgets to or is afraid to execute this step. As Anthony Robbins says, “Success comes from taking the initiative and following up… persisting… eloquently expressing the depth of your love. What simple action could you take today to produce a new momentum toward success in your life?”

Get help. This isn’t like a ten-step program. We can’t do it alone. We don’t have all the answers. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are many well-meaning people out there willing to help you achieve your goals. Struggling alone isn’t a requirement of success. It’s usually an issue of fear. Fear that we will look bad. Fear that people will think less of us because we don’t have all the answers. No one has all the answers! Do yourself a favor, and go ahead and ask the question! While talent and timing play big roles in success, so is doing the things others aren’t willing to do. Are you going to succeed? Are you doing the things others aren’t?