Great things take time. How many times have ya heard it in life so far??? Chances are, quite a bit. It’s a commonly thrown around phrase that lacks the punch it once packed. It was basically turned into a societal cliche to get us overly ambitious folks to turn it TF down when we’re on a real roll. If you’re ambitious and yannno it, say HOLLAH. (hollah!)
I get it – I feel you.
But that doesn’t make it any less easier to really believe, especially when we want it all and we want it now. When we’re developing discipline + doing everything in our reasonable power to affect the outcome of a situation, we expect results. And oftentimes, we expect to see ’em when we wanna see ’em, or when we think we SHOULD be seeing ’em, and not whenever the heck they decide to come about “in due time.” So great things take time can be a harder one to stomach for those of us on the train of fast n’ furious growth, committed to blossom until the day we die (guilty). We *get* that great things take time for most/many, but we think we somehow possess this superhuman trait that allows us an extra somethin’ somethin’. Or rather, we think we *should* be going faster/further/fiercer justbecause we are who we are – and then we get down on ourselves if/when we take a bit more time than we had allotted in our brain to make it happen. When really, great things take time and it’s TOTALLY A-OK if that “time” in reality doesn’t align with the time that we had randomly set in our brains as being reasonable/rational for achieving XYZ.
We only have so much in our immediate control. Sure, we can impact the outcome of one thing or another by our actions today and our decisions tomorrow, but some of the greatest things/successes/achievements in life aren’t as predictable or immediately plannable. They require ~time~ spent nurturing, fostering, planning, executing to build a series of smaller successes into a bigger great THING.
Good things take hustle.
Great things take time.
Good things take hustle – like being good about finishing 3 loads of laundry on a Saturday afternoon, or getting your errands done, or flying through an easy to-do that just has to get done everyday (but doesn’t directly correlate to more of anything substantial).
But great things take time.
Do ya feel the itch?
I’ve got the itch REAL bad.
The itch to go fast + go far and make it happen…like, yesterday. I swear the dang itch is contagious – there should be some sorta cream for it at this point! 😉 Until then, let this be your cream (and friendly daily reminder):
Great things take time.
The greatest of the great were not born overnight. They did not step into success the second they decided they wanted to be successful. Nor did they come into this world already knowing all of the “secrets” to propel them beyond the rest.
Sure, some folks might have advantages. Some have connections, relationships, or opportunities that the rest of us just don’t have access to – but that’s OK. WE might have something that THEY don’t have, too. (So never ever begrudge someone their great thing, when it comes – just believe yours is coming, too!).
How fast you go does not directly impact how far you make it.
It takes grit + stamina along the way to really make it happen. And if we go too fast too soon, we’re liable to not end up very far at all before burning out altogether. Don’t risk ruining the race by running it too dang fast from the gate. Let yourself pick up a pace that’s right for you, and everywhere you are, have been, + will be throughout the course of it.
It’s like a literal marathon – it’s not even physically POSSIBLE to run that thing in less than two hours (Google says that the fastest recorded one so far was 2:02:57 by a boss Kenyan). And if someone showed up swearing they were going to make it in less – especially without having first trained for YEARS to make it happen – they’d be nuts. If someone showed up asking how to cut their time in half justbecause, they’d also be nuts. And they’d likely end up injured, defeated, and not at all number one.
If you’re going to run a marathon, it takes time.
You train. You start smaller, and you build up to the big day.
You can’t just show up at the starting line thinking you’re going to best the rest because you want to and say so.
Sure, you can think good thoughts. You can “manifest” the heck outta it. You can envision yourself winning that dang marathon without having run a single race before in your LIFE.
But at the end of the day (and race), if ya didn’t do the necessary prep work, the great thing that could’ve been won’t be nearly as great in reality.
When we rush, we risk missing integral parts of the process. We risk doing more harm than good, skipping steps and getting sloppy along the way. Great things take time. Don’t think your thing is any less great because it took longer than anticipated to get there. And DEF don’t think your thing is any less great because it took longer than so-and-so did to get there. Your race is yours and yours alone – nix the comparison (although that’s a mantra for another Monday 😉 )
I recently stumbled upon this article with a hella good quote from the CEO of Moz – which is basically every blogger/online person’s dreamboat of SEO resources. He said:
“Plan to invest in blogging for a long time before you see a return.
The web is a big, noisy place and unless you’re willing to invest more over a greater period of time than others, you’ll find success nearly impossible.
If you’re seeking short-term ROI, or a quick path to recognition, blogging is the wrong path.
But if you can stick it out for years without results and constantly learn, iterate, and improve, you can achieve something remarkable.”
I get a ton of emails + DMs from those of you who are also bloggers, often asking for tips for “quick” success. How to grow by thousands of followers in a week (impossible), how to get paid to post for brands after having just started taking your Instagram seriously (unlikely), ways to leave your job ASAP to blog (unsustainable).
Really, there is no shortcut to true success.
Sure, there are shortcuts to LOOK successful. But those shortcuts are just that – shortcuts. They’re not sustainable, and they’re sure as heck not true indicators of anything worthwhile. Time is not always a luxury – sometimes, it’s a necessity. It’s a necessary, unavoidable part of a process that can’t be jipped.
So give yourself some credit while you run your race. Good things take hustle, but great things take time.
Great things take time – how can you give yourself more time this week to make it happen?
Head here for more Monday Mantras, and here for 12 tips on developing mental toughness.
Hoping your week has lots of great things ahead.
