Many years ago, a friend passed along a pearl of wisdom that has served me well.
Larry was a mentor. I was an eager young man who wanted everything now. I’ll never forget sitting in the chair in front of his desk discussing all the ways I would dominate the world during my life. I still remember the look in his eyes as he pondered what advice he was going to give. That’s when Larry said –
“Scott, sometimes you have to hang around long enough for folks to see that you are the real thing before they’ll do business with you.”
I was 24 years old at the time; still, there is one thing I knew for sure. That old guy was out of his mind, completely wrong, and in my way. But, I had to follow my life-long rule…
When people I respect drop a knowledge bomb on me, I listen and do what they say.
Why?
Because when I do, I get what I want faster, and they give me more shortcuts to success. When I don’t listen, everything slows down, and the advice stops coming.
Over the years, Larry’s advice turned out to be correct, and almost every success I’ve had along the way arrived when I was patient enough to prove myself to those that were watching.
As I have done so, one more thing has happened.
That conversation has repeated dozens of times, with me behind the desk and others in front of me. I’m sure they noticed the look in my eyes too, and I only hope they recognized the wisdom that I was passing on to them.
Success in anything in life comes down to how good you play your long game. Keep practicing. It’s how you get what you want.