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No Such Thing As Overnight Success

no-such-thing-as-overnight-success

Do you want to be successful? In all aspects of life — we’re not just talking money here.

Do you gain pride from what you do and the person you are?

It’s pretty damn obvious that the more you repeat something, the better you get at it. But the statistics are surprising none the less.

Getting Great Ain’t Easy

A guy called Hayes took it upon himself to whittle down thousands of pieces of music down to the 500 best “masterworks” created between 1685-1900. He created a timeline of the composer’s careers and found that 497 of them were written after the tenth year of their career.

So, 99.4% of musicians had to practice for a decade until they created something that could be considered a “masterwork.”

Sure, you’re probably not trying to be the next Mozart, granted. But the point underneath is undeniable: it takes time to do anything important. These pieces of music were written over a century ago and are still recognised today as having value. They’re important.

It takes time. And you’ll probably fail.

Let’s put it into perspective. You’re beating yourself up for not ENTIRELY sticking to your workout plan for a month? That’s not a positive frame of mind to have. This funny ol’ thing we call life is truly a marathon, not a sprint. You won’t become successful overnight. It takes time – could be a month, 6 months, a year, or a decade. What’s the rush?

By taking steps today to improve, and continuing those steps, you’ll be amazed where you arrive in a year.

But what about…

Yeah, there are exceptions. Your mate Tom from school went from £14,000 to £60,000 overnight because… well… luck. But you can’t shy away from graft in the hope that something’s going to fall into your lap. If you wait for miraculous events to take place, you’ll end up snuggled up in a box in the dirt with a long list of “shoulda, woulda, couldas.”

Hayes’ research highlights that in order to do something truly impressive, you need to put in the work. This idea applies across every aspect of life: fitness, health, lifestyle, hobbies, careers, friendships – you name it.

Get off your arse and get started. No goal is being reached any other way.

Ciao,

[Little further reading for anyone eager for more detail]