Success Takes Time

In Vienna, Billy Joel writes, “slow down, you crazy child. You’re so ambitious for a juvenile.” I love this song because it’s such a great reminder that sometimes, we get ahead of ourselves. Sometimes the drive to succeed is so strong that patience is pushed aside and we forget to appreciate how far we’ve come. 

Life is a Marathon

My husband tells me all the time that life is a marathon. I’m guilty of getting ahead of myself, too. You may not be living your definition of success, but you’re still on the path. Leave time for your hard work to pay off. But just like in a marathon, you can’t stop running and expect to cross the finish line. You have to keep at it.

Pay Attention to WHY You’re Impatient

When you’re impatient, it might be helping you identify an area where you’re not moving forward. For example, if you’re impatient for the next position at work, are you maybe impatient because you’re not learning in your current role? Or maybe you’re impatient because you want that bigger salary. Are there ways that you can fill those gaps while you wait? For example, maybe start a side hustle if you need the extra income or ask to take a training course or mentor a junior employee to work on leadership skills. Your impatience might be a blessing in disguise,  showing you a gap you need to fill in another way.

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Let’s talk About the Comparison Trap

“I started second-guessing myself and I fell into this trap of comparing myself to others which caused me to start losing my self confidence and drive.” Have you felt this way? When we believe others are ahead of us and are doing better than us, we can believe we are lesser than. We must not be as good as they are in some way. We have to observe the facts and accept that each person moves forward at a different pace. Just because someone else has the life you want, doesn’t mean you can’t have it too. It’s ok to wish them well knowing you are still working for your own success. 

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Check In

If you feel like you’re doing everything you can to succeed and it’s just not happening, check in. Is there something else holding you back from that next step? Make sure you’re managing expectations, both yours and those of your boss. Putting your emotional intelligence to work for you is just as important as the hard work you’re doing for your position. 

The impatience you feel is not lost. You’re working hard, you want to succeed and you want it now. Take stock of why you are feeling like you haven’t yet made it; there’s a silver lining in the wait. It may highlight a skill you need to pick up as you go or start a conversation that leads you to your future successes. It might even tell you it’s time to look for the next opportunity. No matter what, keep running that marathon and you’ll get there.

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