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LAZINESS IS NEVER THE PATH TO 'OVERNIGHT SUCCESS
By: Robert J. Tamasy
Have you noticed the fascination that many of us have with the "overnight success" - the individual who seemingly achieves instant and unexpected fame and notoriety for a celebrated accomplishment? We see this most often in the worlds of entertainment and sports, where singers or musical groups burst into the public consciousness with hit songs or albums, actors receive critical acclaim for performances on film or TV, or athletes gain sudden stardom by excelling in their fields or arenas of competition.
"Overnight successes" also crop up in the business and professional world: an industrious entrepreneur who shapes an innovative idea into a multimillion-dollar enterprise; a rising executive who assumes leadership of a top company and suddenly commands headlines in all the prominent business periodicals; the author whose distinctive book on marketplace strategies propels her into prominence.
Wouldn't you like to become one of these people?
The irony of "overnight success," however, is that it takes such a long time to achieve. Many celebrated CEOs have labored in obscurity for decades before rising to the top of their industry. Popular conference speakers and seminar leaders have invested much of their lives to acquire the experiences and insights that now put their services in such great demand. Top sales executives have spent years forging their skills through the fires of trial and error, success and failure.
As we can see in the ancient yet timeless book of Proverbs, if there is a secret to "overnight success," it is determination, hard work, and the readiness to act on and maximize opportunities that arise:
Don't delay taking appropriate action. In many cases, timing is everything. Failure to act on promising opportunities in a timely manner can result in losses than can never be recaptured. "He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son" (Proverbs 10:5).
Rewards go to the diligent, not the dreamers. Vision and imagination are valuable traits in the business world, but immediate responsibilities must take precedence over future possibilities. "He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment" (Proverbs 12:11). "He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty" (Proverbs 28:19)
Determined effort yields a steady return. The individual set on attaining "overnight success" will try any shortcut to achieve it, but hard work and determination pay off generously over the long term. "Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow" (Proverbs 13:11).
Laziness reaps its proper reward - nothing. An old saying tells us, "You get out of something what you put into it." Some people fall into the trap of yearning for abundant professional and material rewards without expending the necessary time and effort to earn them. "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied" (Proverbs 13:4). "The sluggard's craving will be the death of him because his hands refuse to work" (Proverbs 21:25). "The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth" (Proverbs 26:15).
Robert J. Tamasy is vice president of communications for Leaders Legacy, Inc., a non-profit corporation based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. He has coauthored with David A. Stoddard, The Heart of Mentoring: 10 Proven Principles for Developing People to Their Fullest Potential (NavPress) and is author of the newly published book, Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today's Workplace (River City Press). For more information, see www.leaderslegacy.com or www.rivercitypress.net.>
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