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- Growth Takes Time
Even if this year hasn’t started as you envisioned it, keep going.
Say it with me:
Growth takes time.
Today’s visual is a simple one that represents why growth is worth the wait.
It may take time, but it is often a process that leads to beautiful results.
Say it with me:
Growth takes time.
In what has to be one of the best animated movie scenes of all time, we come to understand why growth takes time.
“You can’t rush art.”
Simply put: you are a work of art.
As you continue to grow, you become all the more beautiful, and that can’t be rushed.
Say it with me:
Growth takes time.
This week we passed Blue Monday - supposedly the saddest day of the year.
And according to Sundried.com, nearly 40% of people have given up on their New Year’s Resolutions by now.
It would be easy to consider your current circumstances and feel a sense of helplessness because your year is not going as you dreamed it would.
Perhaps you have already given up.
It is for that reason that I have written today’s newsletter.
When we are busy striving for success and growth, it’s easy to become impatient.
We’re living in a world of same-day delivery, 60 second gratification and diets with promised results in a couple of weeks.
It is no wonder why we want to see results immediately.
That is why it is important that we remind ourselves that growth takes time.
J.K. Rowling was rejected by dozens of publishers and juggled being a single parent before her Harry Potter series became a globally recognised phenomenon.
Thomas Eddison had hundreds of unsuccessful inventions, including many failed attempts at creating light bulbs. Now he’s considered one of the greatest inventors of all time.
Lady Gaga is a household name nowadays, but her rise to fame took years, including performing at hundreds of small venues and repeated heartache as she was rejected by numerous record labels.
Jamie Vardy’s rise to a Premier League winner is a testament to growth takes time. He had played football (soccer) since a young age, but didn’t make his Premier League debut until he was 27. This is after years of playing football semi-professionally whilst also being a full-time factory worker.
Julian Hearn left school in the 80s with virtually no qualifications. Despite that and working various jobs like shop worker and labourer, Hearn can boast founding Huel at the age of 43, which is a business that achieved £214m revenue in 2024.
You’ll note that throughout this newsletter I’ve encouraged you to repeat the statement “Growth takes time.”
This is not to be cute or gimmicky.
It is because words have power, and by saying this aloud, you are reminding yourself of the reality you can and will grow when you practice patience and persistence.
When you next experience disappointment because you’re not achieving as much as you would like to, pause for a moment, and recite those 3 words.
So please join me one last time:
Growth takes time.
Consider journaling your responses to the following questions:
What is an area that I am trying to grow in at the moment?
Is there another example of someone who grew successful over time that I feel more closely aligned to?
How else could I incorporate the statement “Growth takes time” into my day?
Someone who knows all about growth is Carol Dweck.
She is the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.
If you’re an enjoyer of WISER, you’re likely familiar with the idea of having a growth mindset, not a fixed one.
Recognising that you’re not a fixed being, but an individual that can improve is important if you want to grow.
To learn more about Carol’s teachings, watch this quick video from Stanford Alumni:
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Catch you in the next issue!
Thanks,
Michael