There are No Overnight Successes

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t guilty of wishing I could have an epic, luxurious beard overnight, and I have a suspicion I’m not alone.

We tend to forget that like most great achievements in life, a majestic beard takes a lot of time and effort.

Somewhere along the line most of us developed this need for immediate results and if we don’t reach our goals right away, we get discouraged and in most cases just give up. I’m not sure if it’s our recent ability to receive immediate feedback via social media and text messaging, or having the ability to readily see others having and doing things we only wish we could. Whether it’s a glorious beard, a nice car, a house or an extravagant lifestyle, there seems to be an unrealistic expectation of how these things are achieved.

I think the issue lies in focusing on the destination and not the journey…

Most of the time what we see is the end result, no one sees the grind. No one sees the trials and tribulations that it took to reach the pinnacle. No one sees how many times that millionaire entrepreneur or that man with the envious beard has been knocked on his ass and had the drive and determination to keep getting up.

You may think it’s weird, farfetched or even childish, but I think successfully reaching your beard goals closely mimics the journey to reaching most other successes in life. It’s important to remember that the journey and the climb is what makes it worth it. That amazing feeling of standing at the peak looking down the steep mountain and reflecting on what we went through to reach those heights.

I urge you to fall in love with the journey. Fall in love with the process. Fall in love with the grind. The grind is where we learn, it’s where we grow. Although we overlook it, it’s what teaches us those lifelong lessons that we can continue to apply through the rest of our lives and we will never forget or take for granted.

Whether it be your beard, your professional life or personal life, learn to take a moment to celebrate the small wins. Take those punches on the chin (hairy or not) and keep pushing forward, because for most of us, the battle has just begun.