Dreams always take longer than we think.
There may be such a thing as overnight successes, but if so, they don’t stay successful for very long.
More often than not, so-called “overnight successes” are anything but.
One time, Kim and I spent a couple of hundred dollars on a two-day craft show. That was a big chunk of change for us at the time — about two months’ worth of groceries. We were next to a booth where a guy was selling knockoff Garfield tchotchkes. Meanwhile, we moved a grand total of $7.92 worth of greeting cards. It was rough. Then we drowned our sorrows in sirloin steaks at Outback, which made our negative profit margin even worse.
I have a lot of stories like that from the early days. Happy times.
Over the years, I have often felt like the sloth in this painting. Very little progress to show for a heck of a lot of effort.
But then I think of things like that craft show, and I’m impressed and even a little surprised by how far we’ve come. There is a great sense of satisfaction in what we’ve built and the things we’ve accomplished, regardless of how much distance there is left to cover.
Anything worth building takes time.
More time than you think it should.
Like way more.
We need to hear that reminder often, because it goes for everything from dream businesses and amazing relationships to paying off Bank of America and mastering the clarinet. Thanks to the proliferation of microwave ovens and high-speed internet, progress always seems to be taking longer than it should. Then the media peddles their stories of overnight success. They catapulted to fame and fortune in one fell swoop; why can’t you?
When the early buzz of enthusiasm wanes, discouragement is quick to settle in. It is during those seasons that we need to look for and listen to our true believers.
I’ve been fortunate to have quite a few in my life.
My Grandma K. made me feel like I was special, just as I was.
My third-grade teacher, Mrs. Smith, encouraged me to take my artistic talent seriously.
My Little League coach, Mr. Dawson, helped me believe that I was a winner.
My high school art teacher, Mrs. Garrett, made me believe I had the talent to do this for a living.
When I was an uncertain teenager, Deacon Vince saw me as a grown-up with valuable contributions to make.
When Kim and I got married and launched our business, we were graced with a few true believers who saw the vision, including our parents and our best friends, Sue and Jenna. Theirs were not just empty words of encouragement. They responded with action by offering their time, money, and prayers. This signaled the proof of their belief.
The certainty from true believers is invaluable. There will come a time when you lose faith in the vision, and you will need them to remind you that it’s real.
Mounting failures and things taking longer than you expected take a toll. That vision, which once seemed so clear, begins to fade. You wonder if all the naysayers were right. After all, so many of them have way more experience than you, and the evidence seems to be piling up in their favor. Maybe I AM delusional? Maybe I was mistaken? Maybe the signals got crossed and I accidentally co-opted a dream that was not meant for me…
I entertained all these thoughts at various times. It was tempting to give up.
But then I remembered my parents. And Kim’s parents. And Sue and Jenna. I remembered that nobody pours money or time into a lost cause. Their sacrifice was tangible proof of their belief in us. It helped assure me that no, this is not a mirage. It’s real. They see it.
Their belief bolstered my own.
We need cheerleaders to succeed. They give us the boost we need when our dream seems late in coming.
There are a few reasons dreams take longer than we think they should.
One is partly for us to prove how much we want it.
But it’s also because the most important part of a dream is who we become in the process of chasing it. That’s the real reward.
When success doesn’t materialize as quickly as you thought it would and you’re discouraged by your dream taking too long, don’t despair. Heed the true believer cheering you on.
Take it from the sloth. Achieving anything worthwhile is a marathon, not a sprint.