They see the fruits of my labor, but what they don’t see is what it took to get to where I am now. The hard work. The dedication. The struggle. Rising at 4:30 AM every morning for prayer, exercise and writing. Already having a whole day of things accomplished before the workday even started. The sacrifices that it took to get here. The phone calls. The cold calls. The meetings. The resilience. The dedication to my craft. No, they don’t see that.
They just see me sitting here, with business coming in. They think, “Oh, it’s easy.” Really, procurement is the hard part. The strategizing…the years of hard work that got me to where I am now…no one sees that.
They just see the results of years of determination and tenacity. They want what I have, but they don’t want to do what it took to get here, or they don’t understand – they just see me now.
They didn’t see me when I had nothing. When I ate mac and cheese and ramen every day for years because it was what I could afford. When I had cardboard boxes for furniture. When I shopped at thrift stores (I still do this though) instead of Saks.
The me that they see now is not the “real me,” it’s just the “end result me” from years of diligence and perseverance…heartbreak and sometimes tears. That’s what they see when they see me. They don’t have a clue what it took to get here. But they want what I have earned. What I have. They think they deserve it…shouldn’t have to put in the work.
Success comes in many forms. It’s just not about money. However, every true form of success has one attribute in common – it’s something that is worked for. It is not given.
Those who take the initiative to strive for their goals are those who will ultimately reach them.
If it was easy, everyone would do it.
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