Don’t Go Chasing Rainbows: Exploring A Common Trait of Successful People
Don’t chase rainbows.
What is a rainbow? It is an illusory “perfect” moment-in-time to act.
I will ask her out once I get a little more fit.
I will apply for that job once I have a little more experience.
I will start to eat healthy once my schedule is a little less hectic.
I will start reading more once work isn’t so busy.
That “time” you are chasing is an illusion. It will never come. Once you get “more fit” you will find another shortcoming to use as a reason to hold you back. Each year that passes in your current job will leave you feeling that next year will be a better time to apply for a bigger role. And your schedule will never, ever be “less hectic.”
If you watch successful people, read their autobiographies, or hear them tell their journey to success, you notice that they just start stuff. Zuckerberg, Bezos, and Gates didn’t wait to make the right connections or until the perfect time in their life to pursue their goals. They had an idea and they pursued it immediately and relentlessly.
Successful people don’t wait for serendipity, comfort, fate or luck. They just go. If they want to get healthy, they start today. If they want to get published, they are sending out pitches today. If they want to make an industry connection, they are proactively trying to make it.
They are never caught waiting. They throw a goal out there for themselves and attack it with urgency, their effort backed with every ounce of their being.
Don’t let articles online fool you: waking up at 6 am is not a root cause of success. Neither are long walks at lunch or carrying around an “idea notebook.” These are all positive side effects of a root trait shared by successful people: the willingness to start the pursuit of a goal without pretense, perfect timing, or serendipity.
Don’t wait until tomorrow. Whatever your thing is, do it right this minute. Don’t hesitate or wait for permission. The rainbow of the “perfect time” will always remain at a distance, forever unarriving. Start now.
Got a hankering for more? You can read more of my posts on Letters to a Young Professional, you can check out my blog 12HourDifference.co for my thoughts on launching an international career and you can connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter to chat about…whatever you’d like!
