Today's Business Lessons
No instant successes
The world lost a great man when famous motivational speaker and
author Zig Ziglar passed away last week at the age of 86. As an ode to
such a great person, let me share with you his notable thoughts on
“overnight success.”
“Many times an unknown person does something spectacular and suddenly
becomes a ‘hero,’ a public figure, an ‘overnight success,’ the object
of much envy.” Let’s explore this ‘overnight success’ syndrome.
“Several years ago, Gary Spiess from White Lake, Minnesota, did an
incredible thing. He sailed his 10-foot boat across the Atlantic Ocean
in just 54 days. Most of us can only imagine what he endured to complete
his 54-day ordeal, but suddenly the whole world knew who he was.
“What is the real story? Did he just have a good idea, implement it
and “luck” into celebrity status? The reality is that, Gary had worked,
planned, sacrificed and studied for three years to build his boat. He
committed not only his money but 100 percent of his spare time for three
solid years. He had to chart his course and plan every detail, down to
the minutia – including maximum use of his space and the proper food,
clothing and water to carry. Once the trip began, so did the danger. The
most dangerous and difficult part was fighting the violent seas of the
Atlantic Ocean. The seas often combined with a driving, bitterly-cold
rain, which chilled him to the bone. By the time he reached England, he
was so brutally battered by the cruel sea that his entire body was black
and blue. Yes, it’s true he had his day in the sun, but it’s safe to
say that he had sacrificed and worked in order to receive his rewards.
“Most of us are not interested in doing anything of that nature, but
it is safe to say that if we’re going to accomplish anything of
significance, and particularly if we’re going to maintain that
significance, long hours of planning and even more of hard work are
required. But it’s also safe to say it’s worth it because the effort is
temporary but the satisfaction and rewards can be long-lasting.”
There is no such thing as instant success. Champions aren’t made on
the day of the game. That’s simply the day when the world recognizes all
the preparations that took place before that day arrived.
Adoring crowds and television cameras aren’t usually around when
Champions are being made. They’re made in the early morning hours when
the rest of the world is sleeping just a little bit longer; in the late
evening hours when fatigue has overtaken the average person and sent him
to bed. Champions are made in the thousands of little ways that they
discipline themselves to do the things that everyone could do, but most
people won’t.
It has taken me many years to learn that none of the “big” things
I’ve done have helped me to succeed. Instead, it’s all of the little
things that I did over and over. For example, the discipline to plan each day’s work the night before, no matter how tired I was, has had
more to do with my success than any “big” thing I’ve ever done. Not a
“big” thing, but a necessary thing in getting ready to win.
Former heavyweight boxing champion of the world Muhammad Ali said,
“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in
the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those
lights.”
Same thing in the Christian life. It’s not those big moments that
make you saintly. It’s those tedious, mundane things that you constantly
and consistently do well that prepare you for big successes in the
coming days.
Be faithful in the little things, then you can be handed the bigger
things. Prepare. Work hard and be diligent. And always remember that it
wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.
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