Our world is far too instantaneous. We have cell phones that allow us to access information in mere seconds, social media platforms that allow us to send messages to friends around the world in no time, and the climbing total for the MegaMillion lotto is displayed all around the country. Our society, whether we like it or not, thrives off the idea that somehow, some way, and somewhere, whatever we want is going to come to us right away, when we want it, and by total chance. That, unfortunately, is a giant lie.
Now, before you start feeling bothered, I do believe in fate. I believe that certain things in this world happen because they must. We meet people in our lives for specific reasons we find out much later, and sometimes these people stick with us for life, other times they don’t. Everything we do in this life, everywhere we go, and everyone we meet serves a higher purpose than we realize in the moment. Now, back to the topic of society’s desire for the instantaneous.
If everything we ever wanted showed up on our front door tomorrow morning, would we be excited? Yes. But would we be prepared for it? Would you be prepared to handle the financial investment that your dream car requires? Would you really know the value of what you were given, knowing you had not worked for it?
“Overnight success” has become such a popular term in popular culture. To be honest, I used to love that term and thought it was valid, until recently. “Overnight success” would imply that individuals like Steve Jobs woke up one day, had the inspiration for the Mac, and then launched a multi-million dollar company and achieved massive success without any struggle. That’s just insanity.
What many people desire as their idea of “overnight success” alludes to the many years spent working, burning the candle at both ends, and doing whatever it takes for however long it takes.
Steve Jobs started Apple in a garage. All he had was a vision. All he had was an idea, a dream, and a hope that he would be able to impact, innovate, and change the technology world. And he did. But it was by no means “overnight”. It took years of underground work, much that the public eye did not see, but he still did it.
Success doesn’t discriminate. If you work, it works. Nothing is impossible, because the word itself says “i’m possible”. It doesn’t matter if it starts in your bedroom, in your little cubicle within the doodles you’ve drawn at board meetings when you were supposed to be paying attention, or if you are able to launch a company in a brand new office right away. You could have it all or nothing at all. But if you don’t have the vision for the future and the work ethic to back it up, you’re going nowhere fast.
So stop gripping onto this idea that you’ll make it big “someday” and embrace the idea that this is “day one” to the rest of your life. Make the choice to work through whatever happens, whatever lies ahead, and remember, even if you’re working in your bedroom and living lean to make your plans happen, you’re still working, and that’s all that matters. Do the work, and the rest will follow. Just don’t expect it to happen for you right away. After all, nothing worth having came easy.
