Keep Going. Most Don’t.

Tactics, platforms and attention take up a large part of our working lives. What matters more than most, is staying in the game. Longevity isn’t flashy, but it is steady. It’s showing up when no one’s watching. That quiet consistency often becomes the strongest signal of all. 

What matters most isn’t what spreads the fastest, it’s what lasts the longest.

This all starts with a milestone reached this week.

Every Friday morning, a group of people goes into the sea, every week of the year.

No algorithm, no app (albeit we have a WhatsApp Group to see who’s going in), no metrics, just people showing up, rain or shine and we head into the cold water. It started on 1st July 2021 (the pic below, shows that first group). No grand announcement or sign-up pages. 

The reason we started was the return of the first in-person event since February 2020. It was a simple way to reconnect with people and the idea of heading to the beach. 

What began as a gentle ritual has become a constant in people lives. People stay, people go, the seasons change, but the rhythm remains every Friday. It’s not a club, it’s not a challenge, it’s just something we do. 

We’ve built friendships through it, shared tough weeks when winter hits and laughing when the big waves are in town. We always walk away and say ‘have a good Friday’ feeling a little more alive.

This is what I’ve come to realise, the sea swim isn’t separate from my work. It is the work.

It’s a mirror to everything that has been built with You Are The Media. It’s not about scale. It’s about staying.

Shortcuts are very much part of our lives. How many people can I reach? What’s the next platform to try out? What’s the fastest way to build an audience?

No one asks, “What happens if I just keep going?”

The YATM newsletter is still sent each Thursday and coming up to 12 years. Over the years, there have been additions, events, a membership space, a programme for education, Creator Day and even a podcast.

Everything started with the newsletter. Not because it was working from the outset, but because it meant something.

In 2021, I wrote about “playing the long game.” It was the start of my attempt to name what I was doing and what other people were starting to recognise. I said back then,“Success doesn’t come from being first, but from being the one who stays.”

I still believe that. In, 2025, I now see it’s not just about staying in the game. It’s about what the staying makes possible.

When you persist at something, even during tempting moments to quit, you allow yourself to change, to build trust, and to shape something who you want it to be seen.

The longer you stick around, the more gravity you build.

Let me explain what I mean by this.

It means your work starts to carry weight. People trust you and you no longer have to prove yourself every time you speak or share your ideas. Your previous efforts accumulate and contribute to your credibility. People come not only for what you say but also because they know you will be present.

That’s what the sea swimming has helped me realise.

No one’s judging anyone. They just want to know if you’re going in the sea this week. You’re part of something steady and because of that, people feel safe enough to join.

When something matters to you, time gives you room to get better, not to be louder.

That’s the bit most people skip. They think longevity is just about patience. It’s really about craft (what you do) and identity (who you are).

The longer I’ve kept writing, the more it sounds like me. The more events we’ve delivered, the more they feel like our space.

The more people get involved, the more momentum builds, not because we planned it, but because we kept showing up long enough for something real to take shape.

This isn’t just true for me. It’s true for anyone who chooses to build rather than chase.

What does longevity give you? This is what I see as the return for your efforts.

Trust

→ People stop wondering who you are and start to recognise what you do.

→ Your reputation becomes your leverage.

Momentum

→ You don’t start from scratch every time.

→ Each project builds on the last.

Depth

→ People feel part of your journey.

→ People can grow together.

Creative freedom

→ You earn the right to experiment.

→ People stick around because of you, not a format.

Legacy

→ Your work keeps working, even when you’re not watching.

→ It builds a body of proof that you were here (and thinking along the way)

You can’t buy any of that and you certainly can’t find a short cut. You only get it by staying.

One of the biggest shifts I’ve seen over the past few years is the pressure to be constantly present. It’s exhausting. It traps people in a cycle of perpetually starting over.

This doesn’t help anyone as time and energy is invested in so many places that you just can’t keep up.  Something has to give, this could be mental toil, it could be falling out of favour with a platform.

The goal can’t always be bigger. It’s continuity. Being more useful, more personable, more normal, more like us.

That’s the return of longevity, it lets you do things on your terms. You don’t have to outpace anyone. You just have to outlast them.

Look around, I bet the people you admire are usually the people who stuck with it.

They didn’t get lucky, they were probably someone who stayed. When it got tough for them, I bet they endured.

You don’t need permission from anyone, it’s about starting and the trickiest part of repetition.

The work that stays with people is usually made by those who chose to stay with it themselves.

That’s what sea swimming reminds me of every week. Not everything needs to be loud to matter.

Not everything needs to go fast to grow. You just need to keep getting in the water.

If you’re tired of chasing, then that’s good.

If you’re tired of measuring everything against reach, likes, or engagement, that’s good too.

Build the idea you want to see more of. Stick with it. Let people catch up. Let your idea deepen and grow alongside the people who choose to join you.

Longevity is the strategy. It’s not a backup plan. It’s the whole point.