More access, or more willing

I've been thinking a lot lately about how when presented with the same circumstances, some people manage to come out ahead, and others behind.

Everyone has access to a grocery store, yet only a small percentage are in excellent health.

Everyone has access to the internet yet only a few leverage it to get smarter, to network, or to make things better.

And (almost) everyone has a job. But the number of leaders in any organization or industry is always disproportionate to everyone else.

In cases like these, where everyone has the same tools, better ideas don't often a difference. Neither does better quality resources or opportunities or connections.

Some people who shop at Food Lion are healthier than those that shop at Whole Foods. And some less-than-ideally-qualified autodidacts go on to run companies that Ivy League mba’s could only hope to work for. And everyone with a laptop or a quick phone has access to same tools as everyone else.

So it’s not necessarily more access that makes the difference.

It’s more subtle than that. In these instances, it’s simply the eagerness to try something new, to grow, or to lean in. To put yourself out there in a position to learn or to be seen. To set a goal, and work towards it with intention.

It’s a trap to think that more is always going to give you an advantage.

Because in many cases, you don’t need greater leverage.

You simply need to show up.