Taking the Time to Grow

For some reason we have the notion that success needs to come on fast, make us a ton of money and then drive off into the sunset. Fortunately, things don’t work that way and the best in the biz, spend years at their craft before ever seeing success

Taking it slow

Rarely, very rarely, is someone what is known as an overnight success. In fact, these folks are more like shooting stars that burn brightly for a bit and then burn out altogether. When we think of famous people who are a success, it is often surprising to learn how long they worked before they actually “made it big”.

Let’s take two very different people: pop star Justin Timberlake and artist and inventor Leonardo DaVinci. In the case of Timberlake, he began his official career at the age of ten and enjoyed moderate success until booming around 15 years later at the age of 25. In the case of DaVinci, he worked towards his success for a bit longer and only became a recognized artist after 18 years of slow and steady work.

Does that last phrase remind you of another success story that only came after consistent effort? The famous fable of the Tortoise and the Hare proves to us that success is possible, even if it takes is a tremendous amount of time to get there. And it also teaches us something else, and that is that success is a personal concept. (AdvancedLifeSkills, 2014)

In other words, you cannot let others tell you if your progress is too slow or your success not big enough or good enough. Case in point, success is not measured in dollars. Although this is a very common method for gauging success, it is an outcome of something that may not actually reflect success.

Don’t let anyone name success for you, make sure you have your own understanding of its meanings. This will ensure that your plans will actually lead you towards the goals you have in mind. No one wants wasted steps, and just as that tortoise understood that each solid step took him towards the finish line, so too should everything you do point you towards greater good.

So, let’s consider that in terms of your growth and development. No one wakes in the morning and is capable of producing high quality work without also having put in the time to acquire skills. This is just an honest perspective of what will be required for anyone who is hoping to follow their heart. You must gain insight through experience, develop your personal work ethic, and then you can follow that pathway to success. The people working at House of Sticks have spend the better part of their lives working out their craft. Hopefully that comes through in the work we produce.

No matter what your craft or field, you can take steps towards professional development, and attain success – your vision of success.