The stories of overnight success often fascinate us. Overnight success as entrepreneurs, authors, actors, and doctors.
One mammoth deal. One chart-topper bestseller. One super-hit film. One miraculous surgery. In the case of start-up entrepreneurs or actors, incidents of overnight success are slightly less impossible. One good judgment or one good movie could turn out to be a major success and transform your fate. There’s this one final moment when you hit the threshold. And the world suddenly regards your victory. The society quickly stamps it as ‘overnight success’. Truth is that the society finds it more convenient to glorify the final moment when you hit the bulls-eye. Valiant successes are an inspiration. And such tales are food for extended discussions and gossip.
Most other professions have a process-oriented growth curve. A millennial fresher joining the corporate bandwagon doesn’t become a Vice-President overnight. The person usually enters a freshman designation and works his way up the ladder. Through complicated appraisals, promotions and years of hard work. The growth is predictable and the ‘wonder’ element is mostly missing.
Honestly, ‘overnight success’ is a big fat lie. Behind every overnight success story is a history of sleepless nights and struggles. For obvious reasons, the struggle stories are tweaked, selectively narrated and rarely shared. Struggles make us look less magical and more conventional. The world has been continually witnessing high degrees of depression, strife, and disorder. What it needs is Heroes, with the Midas touch. Motivation is a rare element to find.
