We used to have a great staff member on our team, but he was always pressing – and pressuring – me to come up with a “silver bullet” in our business to accelerate growth.
His role was made easier with the bigger our network was and thus the more traffic our websites attracted. In his mind, however, we were always missing something and somehow, what we were doing was not enough.
I understood his challenge and frustration, as commission was part of his salary and so he wanted a bigger network to try and up his commissions. It makes sense and if I was in his shoes, I’d probably feel the same.
However, over the years, I have noticed that, aside from those lucky and fortunate few who just strike up a billion dollar idea (think Facebook and the likes), for the rest of us, our success, whether we’re in our own business, or in any other form of life, comes down to those little things we do …each and every day.
As Robert Collier once said, “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.“
Put simply, there are generally no silver bullets in life, but success is found in the little steps, repeated day after day, over a log period of time, that reap results.
But it doesn’t sound very glamorous, does it? I mean, we’d all love to come up with an idea that takes us from zero to hero. Who wouldn’t want to start a new business and be making so much money that you very quickly have a stylish new office and a Porsche parked outside? Who hasn’t seen all of those Instagram and YouTube influencers who have gone from break the rules and go from zero to hero?
Who doesn’t want to graduate straight into a waterfront home? Why take the wide and narrow road when you can simply short cut your way to success?
Well, not only does life not work like that for most (even the said Youtubers and Insta influencers’ careers generally have a short life span), but as a Christian, it’s not the path God instructs us to take. Early this morning, while I was checking the surf to decide if I would paddle out before work while my son was at his surf coaching session, I was reading Proverbs 16.
Proverbs 16: 16, which caught my attention, as well as inspired me to write this blog, says: “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!”
In a world that rushes for the silver and gold, the wisdom way is as above: small efforts (ie. good habits and diligence) repeated day in and day out.
If you’re reading this and you’re not where you want to be, then start today by taking small steps in the right direction. This is the key. Don’t wait for a silver bullet, or a prophet coming to town to change your life. Just ensure you’re on the right path, even if it is a slow one, and start taking small steps towards your vision today. I’m not promising its glamorous, but by letting God direct you day by day, you’re on the wisdom pathway to whatever success looks like for you.
***
Matt Danswan is the CEO of Initiate Media, publishers of Entrepreneur Daily. He is also the author of NOT Business As Usual.
