Why You Should Keep Going
Great things take time to build.
There's a quote that encapsulates this: "Most people overestimate what they can achieve in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in ten years."(Commonly attributed to Bill Gates; also said by others.)
There are a few ways you can react to this.
One—You can think, "Phew! I guess I can just settle back and coast for a decade, and great things will happen. If I just wait, wonderful things will spring into existence."
That seems to be the wrong reaction, though, and is probably false. Waiting around does nothing except, well, submit yourself to the status quo. By taking a laissez faire approach to life, you will let others dictate what happens. Which is totally fine, if you think that others are doing all the important work. If you think things need to change, though, then you must take an active role in changing them in the right direction. Passive, inactive waiting doesn't do that. And hard work moves things along faster.
Two—You can think, "I'll just pick the first thing that comes along and spend 10 years on it."
However, planning and prioritizing are still necessary if you care which direction you head in. If you're going to spend 10 years working on something, it's worthwhile to spend time thinking and researching and experimenting in order to find the best way to spend that time.
Third—You can think, "I will be thoughtful about where I invest my time and energy, trying to create a large positive impact. When I find something worthwhile, I will work on it longer and harder than I have on previous projects, persisting through the difficulties and persevering when I get discouraged. I will commit to investing the time that it takes to build something valuable."
This is my preferred reaction—and it's an attitude that can serve as a good antidote to the easy temptations of distraction and giving up.
Because if what you're working on is valuable, sometimes all it takes is to keep working at it for longer.
Longer than a year, sometimes. Maybe more like ten years.
