How to become an overnight success.
Overnight success rarely happens overnight.
It can take years before a tipping point is reached, if it is ever reached. But do you need a tipping point to be successful?
Success. It’s definition is unique to each of us. Many people have ambitions of success even if they’re not clear on what success specifically means to them. As a society, success is often conflated with fame & fortune. Being famous & rich might grab the headlines, but it’s often not what makes people feel successful. However, you define success the chances are that you won’t become successful overnight.
Becoming a success is like growing bamboo. Bamboo spends anywhere between 3 and over 150 years in the ground before it shoots up in a matter of weeks. In the ground the bamboo is strengthening it’s roots, getting everything ready before it takes its opportunity to sprout. At which point, it grows at an incredible rate - giving it the perception of being a fast growing plant.
In the same way, many people labelled as an overnight success are not actually an overnight success. They have spent years continuously improving and growing to a point where they had enough of the skills in resources in place. This leads to more opportunities coming their way. When they take the right opportunity, that’s when the overnight success label is applied.
Here are my four takeaways for becoming successful.
Just because you aren’t seeing the results yet, doesn’t mean they aren’t going to happen in the future.
In the digital world, we have become used to seeing instant impact from what we do. The speed of technology & widespread use of social media can mean that one post is seen by thousands & liked by hundreds in a matter of minutes. Working towards our goals tends to be slower. Think about going to the gym. It can take months before you notice any physical change in your body or start to feel confident in your routine.
The lag effect can be frustrating and causes many to quit before they’ve even got going. Others see initial progress than plateau, their progress seemingly halting. It’s not that they have reached their potential, it’s that they have encountered a challenge that they can’t currently overcome. The key word is currently. The whole process of continuous improvement means regularly encountering new scenarios. Overcoming these challenges is where the real growth happens.
Bit by bit, you work towards your goal improving. You can improve dramatically from when you first start. By being consistent, you increase the chances of achieving something special, something you dreamed of but once thought was beyond your potential.
2. Direction is more important than speed.
Unless you’re not moving and trying things out, direction is more important than speed. Consistency beats intensity when you’re working on a big goal and thinking about year’s not moments. All the little things you do & try out leads to learning which improves your skill. That consistency over a longer period, as opposed to a short intense burst of effort, leads to greater skill acquisition and retention in the long run.
3. If you look closely, most overnight success take years or decades.
The creators of ChatGPT, OpenAI, was founded in 2015. It took them years of work, unknown to most, to develop a game changing technology. Athletes that ‘burst onto the scene’ have been training for years before they gain the publicity. Most successful business founders start in their forties, after learning their craft and becoming more settled in their home life.
In all these cases it takes years before the tipping point is reached and a person becomes an overnight success.
4. Be patient and compassionately disciplined.
Underpinning all of this is patience and compassionate discipline. Patience means taking the long term view. You don’t need to, and probably won’t be, successful overnight. Trust in the process, keep working and be proud of the steps you are taking - rather than fixating on the end result. Compassionate discipline means staying consistent but not being overly critical of yourself when you are struggling. It’s about not blaming yourself when things don’t go exactly to plan. Instead take responsibility for getting yourself back on track.
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