Wendy Brandes Jewelry Blog

Never Is the Next New Thing

The Truth About Success

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I got a kick out of this illustration that gorgeous blogger Jennine of The Coveted sent me.


(I’ve seen this, uncredited, all over the Internets. If it’s yours or you know where it originated, let me know so I can credit it.)

It’s reassuring to see that some experiences are universal. The saying, “It takes ten years to be an overnight success,” has a similar effect on me. It helps to know that my jewelry business has a few more years to go before I need to panic. But I don’t want to wait too long, so I was alarmed when singer Cee Lo Green said it took him 18 years to become an overnight “sensation.” Then I recalled my less-than-sensational experience with Cee Lo at Lollapalooza this summer. Yeah, there might be a reason he needed the extra time.

My photo of Cee Lo at Lollapalooza. Click for my original post.

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Comments

  1. And all it took for him to make it was a conversation with a reckless rodent set to a simple collection of notes. Does that make him crazy?

    *looks at photo*

    Possibly.

    Anyway, may we all be a success someday. And if not, at least Bill Shatner knows our pain. Even wrote a song about it, I believe. 😉

  2. According to Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers), it takes 10,000 hours of practise to become an expert – in anything, which is about ten years. So you can have talent, but the success comes with the time spent doing what it is you do until you become amazing. I’m sure a lot people have read this/know this already, but still, it’s very interesting…

  5. You are right…..to most people on the outside, everything looks wayyyy easier than it really is.
    Only YOU know the countless hours of hard work and lost sleep you have endured …..you ARE a great success Wendy:)

  11. The other funny thing about success is, is there ever a point when you look at yourself and consider yourself successful? I’ve been contacted for blog interviews profiling “successful career women,” but in my head I can see myself having a long way to go. For Christ’s sake, I’m only 27! There’s still a lot to do before I’ve “arrived.”