When you’re ambitious, things can’t happen quickly enough.
That’s what it seems like, at least.
One of my best friends texted me a couple months ago. It was a little after 1 AM.
He told me about how hard he was working, the professional moves he was making, and his aspirations for the future.
And he wondered when everything was going to come to fruition.
I think a lot of us think about “when” things are going to happen.
We see the work we’re putting in, and we know the sacrifices we’re making. What we don’t know is when it will all pay off.
The worst part about it is not knowing whether all of this will pay off at all. There might be a few who have no doubt at all about their future, but most of us have at least a little doubt about the payoff.
When it comes to our futures, we tend to get two pieces of advice.
Hustle to make it happen, AND stay patient.
Those two can seem contradictory on the surface. How can we sprint a race and run a marathon?
Shouldn’t it be binary? Either or?
Sprint or marathon?
The answer?
Train for both, and rest between races.
If we’re capable of working hard and running the sprint, then we should. We should put in the time, we should make a sacrifice or two, and we should try our hardest to mostly do work we love.
And we should become disciplined enough to run the marathon.
Good things take time. Great things take now.
Work very hard, do it consistently, and remember to rest between races.
Your day will come.
It has to, right?
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Photo: Jay Austin