It’s easy to get caught up with the thought that we should be further than where we’re at. Our culture celebrates big victories. Graduations and degrees. Promotions and business launches. So it becomes easy to start to hate where we’re at.
We only love what we will become and never what we are.
I’ve probably been talking a lot about process lately but that would make sense because most of life is made up of process. It takes a whole lot more time to prep, train, and journey to one of those huge victories that have a lifespan of momentary.
You’ve already had some victories and forget about them every day. You know what you don’t forget about every day? Where you wish you were. How badly you wish this was over. How much happier you’ll be when…
I was sitting in a room last night in Cincinnati in a training with someone I’ve become friends with over the last year. After the event, several of us drove to see our friends off at the airport. But it wasn’t a clogged terminal with angry security screaming you’re not allowed to park there. Instead it was a quiet airport with no security and one private jet.
My friend has achieved a level of success that is in a word, incredible. And I learned through my olfactory senses that new jets have a new-jet-smell, just like that little new car scent Christmas tree hanging from your rearview. Well not exactly like that… 🙂
My friend didn’t start working on his business yesterday. He’s been at it for more than twenty years.
I was having a conversation with my friend and mentor, Dave. I was telling him about my struggles with starting something new in my life. When I worked at the community college, I was kind of a big deal (I really mean that in a loving way and not an egotistical way. I just had a lot of really great things going for me there.) I had a lot of great relationships with people that I love and trust, huge impact with many students, and it seemed that I was only on my way up. It was like every move I made there seemed to be predestined. I went from student to tutor to instructor to administrator. When I left there I held a pretty high and desirable position. In short, I was the man. When I decided to choose a new career path, something I had never done before, I ran into a lot of walls. Still running into those walls actually.
Dave asked me a pretty significant and profound question. He said, “How long did it take you to achieve the level of success you had at the college.”
I imagine he was smiling into his phone when I answered, “Ten years.”
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