Trust the Process: The Power of Patience and Persistence
In our line of work—real estate, mortgage, entrepreneurship—success isn’t just about what happens overnight. It’s about the steady, sometimes unseen, progress we make each day. I’m sure you’ve experienced this: putting in hours, pouring energy into projects, only to look up and wonder, Is this really moving the needle? The Bamboo Tree Lesson: Trust What’s Happening Beneath the Surface Just recently, I heard Les Brown in an interview tell a story of the bamboo tree. You plant a bamboo seed, water it, tend to it daily, and for years, nothing happens. It just sits there, dormant, beneath the surface. But then, almost overnight, it shoots up to remarkable heights. Imagine the patience and faith that requires—to believe in something that shows no sign of life for years. The bamboo tree reminds us that growth isn’t always visible at first. But just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. This principle is true in business as well as in life. You might be nurturing a relationship, refining a skill, or pouring hours into your brand—and you may not see immediate results. But each action you take, each decision you make, is like watering that bamboo seed. The Two Tracks of Success: Action and Patience Success works on two tracks: 1. The things you can control—your actions, choices, discipline, and mindset. 2. The things that take their own time—the slower unfolding of results, the intangible growth, the impact of your consistent effort over time. We can control our daily actions, but the timing of results? That’s something we have to release. It’s this balance between action and patience that allows greatness to take root. The hard work, the sacrifices, the risks—they’re all essential. But so is trusting that these efforts, even when they feel small or unseen, are building towards something bigger. Take the Long View—And Trust Your Work When you’re reaching for something big, like expanding your brand, generating leads, or closing more deals, it’s natural to want immediate wins. But remember, meaningful success takes time. Like the bamboo or the journey west, real progress doesn’t always look impressive at first glance. But that doesn’t mean it’s not moving forward in powerful ways.