It takes 20 years to become an overnight success
Present Principle 021: Don’t Underestimate Patience
The Chinese bamboo tree holds a quiet, powerful lesson: When it's planted, it shows no visible growth for five years. Nothing above the soil. But something miraculous happens in year five: the bamboo shoots up to 25 meters in just six weeks. Five years of unseen effort for six weeks of visible transformation. This is the Bamboo Rule.
We start things with excitement: projects, businesses, habits. But when progress isn’t immediate, we often assume it’s not working. We get impatient. Everyone wants the tall bamboo, nobody wants the years of invisible, challenging growth. But extraordinary results require extraordinary patience and consistent effort, even when nothing seems to move.
People don’t fail, they quit.
Or in this case:
People don’t fail, they stop watering.
The bamboo rule reminds me of what Lionel Messi once said: “I start early and I stay late, day after day, year after year. It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success.”
I always loved this, because I find it to be an incredibly helpful and encouraging reminder as it demystifies the fairytale that you become successful all of a sudden. Because with anything involving any skill or craft, this is of course not true—but we somehow were brainwashed to believe it.
It also makes you respect other people’s success more. And less likely to assume that someone just got lucky. We tend to put people on an unrealistic pedestal: “Oh, she’s just so blessed! Oh, easy for him, he’s talented!”
But we rarely see the whole journey, the doubts along the way, the sacrifices. And if we don’t realize it, we risk to believe it’s impossible for us.
But it’s not impossible. Nothing is. You do have everything it takes. But: it’s only possible if you keep watering and if you keep patiently doing your Thing, even when everything seems to move painfully slow and your brain is distracting you with doubts.
You have to keep going, even if you don’t see any tangible results yet. Like the bamboo.
When you are building your Thing—and in life in general—I find it helpful to concentrate on what you control, and to radically let go of the rest. To shift your focus on what’s truly in your hands: your mindset, your effort, your values, your actions. You control your output, not the outcome.
Results come sooner or later. Your job is to keep showing up. To keep challenging yourself, to put in the work, to focus on what you can do now, in the present moment.
This is as much a reminder and encouragement for myself as I hope it is for you. Building Present—and my life—into what I believe it can be, is much harder than it might seem. I just try my best to focus on what I can control. And keep watering the plant.
Is there something you are working on intensely, but with slow results? What’s your favourite project? I’d love to hear what’s been challenging for you. You can always reach out.
Bon courage,
Hugo
If you want to join a supportive group of 251 makers, check out our Present Space. We are also meeting in the Consistency Club every two weeks to talk about the bliss and struggles of getting closer to our Favorite Unrealized Projects.
Love this one!