The guiding principle from Epictetus.
On the wall next to our fridge, in a place you can’t avoid, a large, heavy sheet of solid steel is drilled into the wall. The kitchen revolves around the phrase etched in steel, attributed to the ancient philosopher Epictetus:
No great thing is created suddenly.
This phrase reminds my wife and I that today’s results – having a family, living in our home – were the results of long and challenging personal journeys. The details of those journeys will be saved for another day – but safe to say that those, as any journey worth taking, demanded faith. And courage. And patience. Yes, patience.
Over the course of building a business or evolving a career, the same holds true. A solid foundation must be laid, if anything is going to last. Quick wins don’t form the framework of a successful business, and weekend flings are rarely the groundwork of a 50-year marriage. This dichotomy is built into life: Sustainable vs. fragile. Great vs. mediocre. Worth dying for vs. barely worth living for. And a patient mindset can provide a new lens to view life – for both its struggles and its wins.
Quick wins don’t form the framework of a successful business, and weekend flings are rarely the groundwork of a 50-year marriage.
However – practicing patience is rarely easy. We, as modern humans, are quickly getting used to life on instant. From meals delivered to our doors in minutes to accessing any movie ever made with the swipe of a finger – we are quickly forgetting how to delay our gratification. This lack of patience and demand for instant prevents us from doing our best work and becoming our best selves. Because when we are pursuing something great and something worth the wait – we gain a different perspective.
Those who exercise patience are often the same crowd who show great resilience. Their calming perspective tells a different story of current issues and sacrifices. To the patience few, obstacles power their mission and provide an obvious path to move forward. For the I-want-it-now crowd, challenges and difficult situations provide clear reasons to throw in the towel.
No great thing is created suddenly.
That quote etched in steel was a gift from my wife a few years ago, celebrating the day we moved into our new home. And the moment I opened the box and read those words, I knew their truth: to build something great, we must have patience.