Are you in it for the Long Haul?

Instant gratification. We all love instant gratification. We all love pretty much anything that happens immediately, especially when it is to our benefit.

Sometimes, the benefits come only after days, months, maybe even years. Can you stick it out for the long haul or is it now or never for you? How much do you miss with the now or never attitude? Plenty!

Whether it is in business or in your personal life, going for a big goal takes dedication, patience, and commitment. The changes and work that are required may take a total change in your life that may even have to last forever.

Losing weight a large amount of weight is a good example. Maybe you are significantly overweight and maybe you have been that way most of your life.

You could go on a diet and you might even lose 5, 10, maybe even 20 pounds pretty quickly (the instant part). If you lose weight this quickly, you have probably made some major changes either in what you eat, how you eat, or exercise or all of the above.

The problem comes in whether you can sustain this new lifestyle. Making drastic changes can give you pretty quick results, but if you have made changes that you can’t sustain, you will become tired of the changes and you will gain the weight back.

If you approach weight loss as being in it for the long haul, you make gradual changes in your life. Maybe it is too much to start eating differently and start exercising all at once. So you start making small changes in your diet and maybe you do a little walking.

After a while, these changes become your new normal. By taking the time to let yourself adjust to changes until they no longer feel like changes. It will almost certainly take longer, but you can lose the weight and keep it off. You can stay committed for the long haul.

The same is true if you start a business. You can spend tons of money and run around trying to build your business. You may even experience some early and fast success. After the initial “high” wear off, you find that things are not going as quickly and you become discouraged.

Building a business takes consistent work habits and a solid business is not going to grow ove
ight. If you consistently work your business, you will have great success, but it will take time.

Much like the habits you need to develop to lose weight, the habits you need to build a strong business may be uncomfortable at first. But after a while, they will become routine to you. As you continue to do these now “routine” things, your business will grow.

Always start with the attitude that it may take some time, but in the end, it will be worth it.

It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. Confucius

No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently. Agnes De Mille