Have you ever wondered how long it will take for you to succeed?  Do you want to know what’s holding you back from success?  This article will answer those questions.

But first, please let me start with a “simple” story:

…Stephen was excited; he had just finished his first book.  He had dreams of becoming a best-selling author after pouring his heart and soul into his first thriller.  Now it was just a matter of time before he found a publisher…

Unfortunately Stephen was declined by the first publisher he submitted his book to, however he didn’t get distressed.  He knew that in order to succeed he would probably encounter several obstacles.  He happily submitted his book to another publisher.  

Yet he received another rejection.  And another rejection, and another, and another, he received a total of 29 rejections.  Down-and-out, Stephen agreed to try one last time!  He anxiously waited he get the results, he knew this time things would be different; he was excited.

But alas…he was rejected once more.

At this point Stephen was depressed; his dreams of becoming a great writer had been crushed!  He hung his head low, and threw his book in the trash, at least this way he would never have to be reminded of the book again.

But!

Somebody say, “But!” …But Stephen’s wife went into the trash and retrieved the book…she encouraged him and motivated him to resubmit the book, and the rest, as they say, is history.  Stephen King’s book, “Carrie,” became an iconic thriller, and he has become one of the best-selling authors of all time.

Another Story

Walter worked hard at his job; he worked for the local newspaper.  One day while Walter was working, his boss told him that he was fired!  His boss said that “he lacked imagination, and had no good ideas.”

Walter was depressed…yet he picked himself up.  He decided to go into business for himself, but that didn’t last too long, soon he was bankrupt.

But!

But he was only bankrupt financially; he was not out of courage, not out of strength, and not out of faith.

Walter went on to start one of the most imaginative companies in history, the “Walt Disney” company, which today is responsible for $35 billion dollars in sales annually; so much for lacking imagination.

How Long Does It Take to Succeed?

So the question remains, “How long does it take to succeed?”  For most people it takes about twenty years of focused and determined living.  It could happen sooner, or it could take longer, either way you’ll have to be determined like Stephen and Walter in order to succeed.

Why twenty years?  When I look at people who’ve succeeded, it generally took them about twenty years of focused living to do so.  Twenty years is enough time to discover your passion, to become a master; it’s enough time to fail, and enough time to re-gain your focus.

Why do I even mention this?  So you don’t think you’re “dysfunctional” when you don’t succeed overnight.  So that you can be mentally prepared, so that you can understand that success is a science, and that it takes years of work to go from an apprentice to a master. 

What about kids who succeed when their only ten years old?  Their parents probably put in a majority of the requisite years for them.  Some years are transferable, that’s why it’s important to keep good company, and to associate with people who are going where you want to go.

Why Does It Take So Long

Success takes time because the requisite for success is that you provide value.  It takes a lot of work to become a person who provides significant value to others.  People pay for value, valuable people succeed. 

So how many years have you put in?  You may have more years than you know; you may have fewer years than you think.

It’s kind of like college credits; when you “graduate” depends on how many credits you have towards your major.  If your life goal is to be a successful writer, then those years you spent reading novels everyday probably count significantly towards your experience.  The years you spent watching television may not count as much, or maybe they do.  …It’s possible that the years you spent watching television are responsible for your best writing ideas.  One way or another, you’ll probably need a good twenty years of training in order to succeed.

(Because there are so many contributing factors to succeeding in your life’s “major,” it may be difficult to determine exactly how close you are to twenty years of experience, but one thing’s for sure, if you don’t pick a major, your experiences won’t take you towards success.  A “general studies” degree in life isn’t nearly as valuable as a “focused study” degree.)

Twenty Years

“It takes twenty years to become an overnight success.” Eddie Cantor

If you’re not willing to push for success for “twenty years,” you should quit today.  If you don’t value the task enough to push until you succeed, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.  This article is a reminder that there will be setbacks, your success is not based on your ability to avoid setbacks, but you ability to push through those setbacks until you get the twenty years you need to succeed.  If you remain focused, if you put in the time, success will surely be yours!

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along!

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