There is no overnight success

A tree does not grow overnight. It takes seasons to take root and grow into a sturdy tree, give shade, or bear fruit. Likewise, a forest is a product of years of continuous growth of trees until it covers the whole area.

This is essentially the same with us. Success does not happen in a snap. It is the result of hard work and persistence. Our breakthroughs are products of cumulative breakings in the past. It's not the 100th strike that gave us victory, it's the accumulated effort we've bestowed in the first to 100th strike.

I just read on Facebook an interesting yet silly post about people joining Facebook groups about financial literacy and following several financial literacy pages yet remains broke. It's funny because I can identify with the clickbait phrase. I am a member of several pages promoting financial success. I listen to podcasts about financial management. I even took up a financial management course and several crash courses on financial stewardship. But I am still far from my financial goals. Working on it, but still a long way off.

Reading through the whole content proved the point of the post: it's not about what you believe in, but how you put into practice what you believe in that matters. You can be a part of follow-worthy and outstanding advocacies online but remain the same person if all learning remains head knowledge. Without action and application, all learnings are just fancy concepts.

But through continuous effort, there will be a success. Little savings will soon accumulate and be a three-month, six-month, one-year emergency and savings fund. Little efforts to list down expenses will develop in you a habit and discipline of budgeting and good stewardship. Being aware of your needs and wants will make you more appreciative of all your wealth. Everything begins with a decision, then small steps towards financial freedom.

It will not be easy. There will be times when you will feel you're depriving yourself of the best things in life. There will be seasons of doubt about whether you're on the right track. You will encounter times when you just want to give up and splurge on whatever you have, or compare yourself with others and indulge in a pity party. It is not easy, and no one says it is!

But the point is, the reason it's difficult is that it's worth it. Great things come at a cost, otherwise, everyone will have it easy. Whatever your goal is, it has to be difficult. Don't settle for an easy goal. It's not a worthy pursuit if it can be achieved overnight.

Olympic athletes spend years in training to compete in sporting events that happen only a few times in several years. Some of these events last only a few minutes! But they devote their precious time to training and disciplining themselves! This is because they place a high value on the prize that they put everything at stake.

That's why the post I've mentioned hits different. It reminded me that though I'm still far from my goal, I am not lost. But even if I'm on the right track, I have to make sure I'm not just all talk and no action. If I'm aiming for a forest, I should take root, grow, and multiply! I should persist in growing even if results are not as evident as they seem, and efforts don't seem to matter. I have to remind myself that the road to success is never easy, but it's worth it.

Who would have thought that meaningful realizations can be found on silly Facebook posts? Seems like a needle in a haystack, and encouragement in the sea of toxicity lately.