Washington Post Question: How often do achievements like that of the newly elected Republican senator from Massachusetts seem to materialize out of thin air? Do you believe in the concept of overnight success?

The idea that achievements like Scott Brown`s materialize out of thin air is one of the reasons so many people end up depressed. They see or read about the beginning and end of a success story, but they fail to see the zillion failures necessary to create the recognized success.

While I am not advocating for or against Mr. Brown`s current position, I must admit my appreciation for his journey to success. Brown came from humble beginnings, managed to gain acceptance to law school and found a way to pay for his schooling through modeling, something he was clearly well qualified for!

We call him an overnight success, yet we forget to mention that Brown launched his career as an elected official in the `90s, and has served in the Massachusetts state legislature and Senate for 10 years. And he had nearly 20 years to build relationships, demonstrate his dedication and gain the credibility necessary to achieve his new role in the U.S. Senate.

Mr. Brown clearly cared enough to study President Obama`s grass-roots strategy and was able to more than $1 million in online contributions in one day. It took time, dedication and focus to generate such a success.

Many people may think Scott Brown has some sort of magic trick up his sleeve, and they`re right. Others may think they could never achieve such success because they don`t have the magic trick, or they`re simply not lucky enough.The real truth? He has a secret weapon, and it`s called a fierce commitment to reaching his goals.

“Overnight success” is akin to saying “Preparation + timing = luck.” When we want to achieve overnight success, all we need to do is set our sights on our goals and begin taking the zillion steps necessary to create our own success. Will we have setbacks along the way? Of course! Those who set themselves apart, much the same as Mr. Brown, are the one`s who keep pushing forward.

Of course, I advocate for smelling the roses along the way and laughing hysterically at ourselves when we mess up – it`s makes the journey all the more worthwhile!

Link to Post: https://views.washingtonpost.com/on-success/panelists/misti_burmeister/2010/01/over-a-decade_success.html