From star athletes like Jeremy Lin to dot-com millionaires like Mark Zuckerberg, we love seeing people become rich and famous in the blink of an eye.
The idea that someone like you – someone regular – can succeed overnight gives hope, inspiration and comfort. We watch these guys (or gals) and think: “If they can do it, I just might have a shot too.”
Well, I’ve studied overnight success from multiple angles. After many years of analysis, I’ve figured out the #1 secret to overnight success – and you can start applying it to your life right now.
Why We Love Overnight Success Stories
I haven’t mentioned this on my blog before, but I graduated from a top business school. As a marketing specialist, I know that businesses use the allure of instant gains to sell products all the time.
The fact is, this generation hates making an effort. Instant gratification is everywhere; the idea that we need to work hard to get anything is terrifying. Companies take advantage of our laziness by promising an easy way out (in return for your cash).
Think about it: our #1 financial self-help book is “The 4 hour workweek,” not “Make lots of money by working hard.” It’s always “get rock-hard abs in 6 weeks,” not “get a great body by working out and eating right for years.”
This is why we love overnight success stories so much. They “prove” that we, too, can go from zero to hero in a short period of time.
But the real secret to overnight success – the one thing nobody wants you to know – is simple: OVERNIGHT SUCCESS DOESN’T EXIST
There’s Nothing “Overnight” About Success
I’m going to talk about Jeremy Lin again. To me, the guy is a textbook example of an “overnight success”.
(For those who don’t know, he went from being unknown to leading the New York Knicks in a huge, unexpected winning streak)
Here are a few facts about him:
- Upon becoming eligible for the NBA in 2010, he didn’t get drafted.
- He got dropped by his first team (The Golden State Warriors) after playing with them for 1 year.
- He got moved to the NBA D-league 3 times.
- Was so frustrated by his inability to succeed that he considered leaving the NBA and playing for an Italian club in 2011.
But something I read in one of the articles about him stands out the most:
He was the first to arrive every day, and the last to leave. He sought and devoured game tapes. When he requested his own clips, Lin asked to see his turnovers and missed jumpers, not his assists.
That’s right. This guy didn’t get lucky; he didn’t just wake up to greatness one morning. He put in work – again and again and again – and finally got a chance to shine.
Most successful people are like him. The “overnight” part of success is just the tip of the iceberg. People don’t beat the odds by being lucky; they do it by working their asses off.
It’s tempting to think that you can skip the struggle that being amazing at anything requires, but life just doesn’t work that way. It happens, but the odds are low – you may as well buy a lottery ticket and hope for the best.
If you want to be great at anything, forget succeeding overnight – succeeding no matter what it takes is what it’s all about.
For the record, I hate working. I’m a strong believer in shortcuts and I refuse to make an effort just for the sake of making an effort.
But shortcut or no shortcut, success always means working hard. Think smart, bust your ass and nobody will be able to stand in your way.
