No B.S Friday: Overnight successes are years in the making.
In the year or two leading up to my ‘breakthrough’ – the point when my fledgling business no longer needed my cash to keep it running, but instead turned into a oil guizer of cash flow – in the years leading up to that point I had no idea how close I actually was.
For years it felt like I was covering the same ground, going round in circles, always busy, but never feeling like I was making much progress.
But all that work would come together. It all had its place. And suddenly I had an overnight success on my hands.
The idea of an overnight success refers to how sudden the final stages can be, not how long the road to get there is.
Overnight successes are years in the making.
I was reading about bamboo the other day. Bamboo can take up to five years to develop its roots. During that time, it’s doing very little above ground. It’s just a stupid little plant that refuses to become a screen to the back neighbours.
But the bamboo is doing its work – developing its roots and storing energy.
And then, when it decides it’s time to pull the trigger, bam. It’s off to the races. It can grow 20m in a matter of weeks.
You go away for a couple of weeks to visit the relatives, and bam, compliance order from the council.
That’s how results happen. Slowly and then all at once.
Not all progress is visible. In fact, most progress isn’t visible at all. It’s in the root network where no one can see it.
But this can be frustrating. We want to have something we can point to – to say, look, I did a thing. I achieved the result. I made the progress.
But those moments of tangible satisfaction are rare, and they only come after the ground work has been laid.
Consistency here is the key. Just showing up for the daily grind. Getting the little things done, day after day.
Even when it doesn’t feel like you’re making any progress at all. Even when there’s nothing you can point to at the end of the day.
Epic success is ordinary effort, consistently applied.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it was built one brick at a time.
And when it feels like you’re getting nowhere, remember,
You could be a lot closer than you think.
JG.