How To Show Up Consistently

hey—

What if momentum wasn’t magic… but math?

Most people wait for motivation. They wait to feel ready, wait for clarity, wait for inspiration to strike.

Not Jerry Seinfeld.

One of the greatest comedians of all time didn’t build his empire on genius. He built it with a red marker and a calendar.

Every day, he’d write one joke. That’s it. Then he’d take a red marker and put a big X on that day.

Write a joke. Mark the X. Write a joke. Mark the X. Write a joke. Mark the X.

Day after day. Week after week. Eventually, those red X’s formed a chain.

And then came the rule:

Don’t. Break. The. Chain.

It wasn’t about quality. It was about identity.

Seinfeld didn’t obsess over whether the joke was good or not.

He obsessed over one thing: showing up.

That’s the power of momentum.

When you focus on stacking proof—tiny, undeniable evidence that you showed up—you don’t just build habits.

You build identity.

You stop seeing yourself as someone who “tries” and start seeing yourself as someone who does.

There’s a concept called Self-Perception Theory.

It says we don’t change by thinking differently—we change by watching ourselves act differently.

Do you write every day? You must be a writer.

Do you train every day? You must be an athlete.

Do you lead with action? You must be the kind of person who gets things done.

This is where momentum becomes dangerous, because it rewires how you see yourself.

And once that identity takes hold?

You become unstoppable.

The Momentum Chain Method

Want to replicate Seinfeld’s system and build daily proof?

Here’s how:

1) Choose One Identity-Defining Action

Something small but real. One joke. One cold outreach. One 10-minute workout.

2) Track It Visibly

Use a calendar. Use a whiteboard. Use an app. Doesn’t matter—just make it visual.

Here’s what mine looks like:

3) Don’t Break the Chain

Each day, your only goal is to show up and stack proof. Keep the chain alive. Momentum will do the rest.

You don’t need motivation. You don’t need perfect conditions.

You need proof.

And the courage to show up before the results.

Because the truth is simple:

Momentum doesn’t wait for belief. It creates it.

So today, take one action.

Mark the X.

And whatever you do, don’t break the chain.

…

— Johnathan (Creator of Striive)