Metaphors are everywhere. The other day, Mrs. M-W and I were walking, enjoying the warm, late fall weather.
Although it was October, it was as warm as July.
The older I get, the more incredible it is that the environment changes so wholly. “Hard to believe that I’ll be skiing in sixty days!”
The very next day, the temperature dropped and remained cold. It has been raining for a few days, the leaves are starting to blow off the trees, and I’ve turned the heater on in the car and the furnace on in the house.
The other day, the idea that it would soon be winter, with cold temperatures and piles of snow, seemed almost unbelievable. After only a few days of cold weather, the gradual transition into a long Canadian winter seems completely understandable and inevitable.
Let’s get back to overnight success stories.
Some people have convinced themselves that anything that isn’t an overnight success is a failure. Did you write a book? Is it a bestseller? Then you’re a failure. Did you post a blog or a podcast? Did 10,000 people listen, and did 5,000 leave a comment? No? Failure.
Do you know why we always hear about overnight success stories? Because they are rare and unusual.
Here is how you become an overnight success.
Pick a date in the future when you want to be an overnight success. How about my birthday, August 28th, 2033, which is close to 10 years from now.
Next, work hard every day and keep showing up until then.
I’ve been an overnight success for close to 30 years. This is what I have learned. Shortcuts don’t work. The only way to get what you want is to build it patiently and deliberately.
Trust me on this.
Ignore anyone who suggests otherwise.