Timing Isn't Everything . . . But It Matters

Pick your favorite successful person out there. Tony Robbins, Elon Musk, Gary Vaynerchuk, it doesn’t matter. Do you know their story? Their journey to success? Odds are you do if you like them enough, and odds are you’ve thought at one point “yeah they caught their lucky break” or “they were born into opportunity and I’m not that lucky.” And maybe you’re right, but you’re completely missing the important part. More than perhaps anything, they were ready.

Yup, I’m sorry it’s true. You and I weren’t fed with golden spoons. We weren’t handed a brand new Bentley for our 16th birthday. And you indeed have to work extremely hard to achieve those life goals, that major salary, that dream job. And sometimes you have to work for free and in the dark for YEARS just for the chance at a mere opportunity to succeed. But this is not a penance being served, this is your time to learn. Open your mind. Open your ears. Close your mouth. And really take in what your every day is. Remember it well. You’ll cherish it when you get to where you’re going. It becomes the foundation that both grounds you and lifts you up.

Many people call it “paying your dues.” And to an extent they’re not wrong, but what’s left out of that rhetoric is what you gain in this time. Knowledge. It’s not sexy. It’s not fancy. It’s not some radically new realization. But perhaps it’s what you need to hear today. The knowledge you’re gaining right now will be the extra gear you need when your shot comes.

And that’s where timing matters. And it matters for many reasons. But the two biggest are opportunity and being ready to seize that opportunity flawlessly. It will feel like the world finally aligned for you, you got your lucky break. But the truth is, you earned that break and someone was paying attention to you working towards it.

The deeper I get into the music industry the more I understand how and why there really is no such thing as an overnight success. 99% of the time that “overnight” success was actually over years of fumbling around but always pushing forward. And I fully believe that applies to almost every successful individual.

So yes tinting matters, but only if you’ve put in the man hours to make that your moment. So keep growing. Keep grinding. Keep building that house of knowledge. When the timing strikes, you’ll hit it in stride. And if you don’t believe in the process to your core, you’ll fall short. Stay strong. Stay focused. Stay motivated. We got this.

Listening To: "Light On" by Maggie Rogers

Thank you for reading.