You Don’t Become A Millionaire in a Rush

No one, I repeat, no one becomes a millionaire in a rush. 

When mentoring young finance professionals, I’m always thrilled to engage with them in the early seasons of possibility but am floored by how short-lived it is. 

More and more people seem to have bought into the idea that lasting success can be achieved quickly. 

President Abraham Lincoln put it best when he said, “It takes 20 years to become an overnight success.”

In my own unique career track, perhaps I already had the innate wherewithal to push ahead against the odds. Because over my years in the industry, I’ve witnessed that very few do. 

By 27 I was a managing director. 

By 28 I was CEO of my first company, overseeing more than 200 employees in six different offices across the globe. 

But what most people didn’t know is that I was pinching pennies, working late nights, and for over two years, sleeping in my office closet. That is until the day I called in sick, and my secretary walked in to put the clothes from my dry cleaners away only to find me recovering in there. 

If you want to achieve success, it isn’t going to be easy and definitely isn’t going to happen overnight. 

You have to be ok with things taking time. 

You have to pay your dues. 

Of course, this is easier said than done. Because if everyone was okay with paying their dues, everyone would be millionaires.