It's a marathon not a sprint

Today's daily dose: It's a marathon not a sprint
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There is one thing of which I am totally convinced....

There is no such thing as an "overnight success"

What we may see as "an overnight success" is in fact months if not years of dedicated work and practice to get to a point where someone notices you and what you are doing.

The author who has labored over a manuscript, been turned down by a dozen publishers and still they write, still they send out proposals - until one day - someone takes notice. J K Rowling and Stephen King are 2 examples of that kind of overnight success that took years.

The person who dreams of paying off their mortgage and diligently deposits money week after week to do so....

The person who thinks about setting up a website to promote their business....the business has been running for years, but because it can't be found until the website has been created....

The person who wants to create a new business, it may have taken months if not years of thought and preparation before the doors finally opened for business....

Google - yes THE search engine we know and love so much today started off as a research thesis for 2 doctoral students .... did you know it started off life as "Backrub"? doesn't have quite the same ring to it does it.... overnight success? I don't think so.

Every goal you have in front of you is likely to be a marathon not a sprint. Yes there will be spurts of inspiration and energy that will take you further than perhaps you had ever dreamed possible, but I do know that mostly it is a slog, not always a hard slog, but a slog nontheless. Getting up day after day to do something that will mean the goal is achieved.

• The person who gets up at 5am to go for a walk because it is the only time they have to themselves and when they can do some exercise.
• The writer who needs peace and quiet will wait until the kids have gone to bed before getting out the manuscript.
• The people who decide to give their diet just one more day.
• The would be business person who reads just one more article, then starts to lay the foundations
• The teenager who wants to save a million dollars by the time they are 40 decides to forgo the party one the weekend to stick the money into a savings account
• The student who decides to spend just a little more time studying than their fellow undergrads so they can get the first and the best job in town

And what do we hear - Oh they were lucky, they ....

Yes they created their own luck by working hard for it.

Are you willing to create your own luck?


Comments

[Helen Abel]

Hear! Hear! This is a great e-zine article. I have always heard from my brother that I'm the 'lucky' one, but he neglects to include that I've worked my butt off trying to get somewhere. I like Oprah's version on luck - it's "preparation meets opportunity". Don't give me that crap about me being lucky - I deserve everything I have, because I've worked hard to get it! My two cents!

[Elle]

Helen thank you, I appreciate everything you say. Here's to the lucky hard workers out there
Elle