You’re Only Defeated If You Quit
Because of shiny objects, do you keep finding yourself over & again at starting point? I hear this all the time: “My gosh! How long is it going to take me to succeed? How hard must I work? How many hours are too many hours?? I can’t do this anymore, it does NOT work.”
And then, they want to give up. AGAIN…

Let’s be honest. Many young entrepreneurs are looking for a “get-rich-quick scheme” or some type of “instant gratification.” Eyes turned to heaven. a grin on their face, mouth open… tongue sticking out, drooling – they wait for the skies to open and serve the 5 course meal – Drop! Straight into their bellies… All cooked, mashed and digested!!! Tee-hee…!
Well… excuse me. It does NOT work that way… (-_-)
In recent weeks, I’ve had a few wishfully say they’d love to be where I am now. Yet, when I follow up on their progress I see they’re not doing what it takes to get there. You cannot WISH yourself into success.
It takes long hours, a lot of hard work and it’s a huge learning curve. I can remember putting aside many fun things because I put my success first. I didn’t have a hobby; I was serious and doing serious work, determined to see results. My “WHY” got me through it.
I remember a mentor telling me that at first, it would take 80% of my time for 20% of the growth. I can tell you that there was a lot of truth in that statement. I may not be where I want to be but I’m not where I used to be…! I’m on my way there! Woohoo! :) The only way to get there is to put in the work…
Oh, And BEFORE I FORGET!
Personal Development Means:
- Doing things EVEN when afraid.
- Doing it when you don’t feel like it.
- Getting out of your comfortable box.
- Being willing to be stretched out of your comfort zone.
- Being persistent when all you want to do is quit.
- Taking one more step into the darkness.
- Having faith in things unseen. In your mentor.
- Saying NO now because of the YES you want later.
Your Business is Like a GARDEN
To see results, you will have to:
- Be persistent; consistent.
- Work hard & smart.
- Find the best mentors.
- Be willing to learn.
- Change. Change. And change!
- Keep on keeping on!
Let me give you a visual:
- Turn and return your fertile soil.
- Plant your good seed.
- Fertilize and water those seeds consistently.
- Weed out the weeds. Keep the solid plants.
- Solid roots are growing deep into the ground.
- Let the solid plants grow, grow, grow.
- Be patient, harvest is coming soon.
- Be ready for when the harvest comes in.
- Harvest!!! Woohoo! The fruit of all your labor is here… :)
- Repeat the process. Over and over. As many times as YOU desire.
I must say that 90% of the work is PERSONAL Development. Your mindset, belief systems… YUP! There, I said it. Strength of Character. Integrity. Courage. Growth. That is how you become who YOU crave to be. Unless you rise up to the challenge and work, you’ll stay where you are.
If you’re always giving up, whatever you move on to next will always find you back at the start. Duh…! Over and over, NOT growing any solid roots.
Remember the game, “Cliff Hangers” on the Price is Right?
I followed my mentors’ advice. I trusted the leaders and the process. I focused on getting there and not on what I did not yet see. I chug-a-lugged along, doing what I knew to do. I focused on working smarter and not harder. I learned and studied. And studied and learned. I implemented. Again and again.
I got to the point where I could see the seeds I had painstakingly sown start to grow. Plants began to pop up here… then there. Over and everywhere. I began to get noticed. My presence grew and grew. The right people showed up to surround me and to mentor me. Blessings came my way that I could not understand. When I asked the famous question, “Why me?” I was told over and over by leaders “Because we saw your hard work, we knew you were serious and we wanted to invest in you.”
Then one day, the harvest was here!
This is honestly my story. Let me EXPLAIN.
- Perseverance means sticking to it whether the feelings are there or not. Whether you feel like it today or NOT!
- It doesn’t matter if you are seeing results at the moment. Before you see results, you have to put in the time and the hard work.
- It doesn’t even matter if you are seeing the money! :)
Find something you are passionate about, narrow down your WHY, make it important enough that you’ll learn how to succeed at it. STOP the madness. Ask yourself, HOW MANY TIMES WILL YOU QUIT? At the mercy of the next shiny object? It takes time to learn how to succeed.
LEARN & SUCCEED AT IT.

That step in the dark can be so frightening! Glad I have a few hands to hold and a flashlight!
Elizabeth Maness recently posted…The Minimalist Guide to Personal Branding Via Social Media
As a gardener, I love the correlation between growing a business and growing a garden. What most amazes me in the online space is that (because some of the barriers to entry are low) people forget that it “online” is just a marketing tool for their “business,” which is no different from an offline business … with all the needs, time frames, etc. And, as you say, the cases of instant gratification are indeed rare! ;-)
Sharon O’Day recently posted…Financial Independence: A Quick and Dirty Path to Freedom
I knew it was going to be great from the title of the post :) Thanks for the motivation and inspiration, Norma!
Delia @ EosGrafx recently posted…Your Twitter images: All you need to know
Love the title!!! To reach success we have to persevere and believe in ourself. If we are doing something that we are passionate about, we will succeed.
Carele Belanger recently posted…Get results because of Social Medias
You always share so much valuable information Norma! I love hearing your story. It’s so inspirational!
Susan Myers recently posted…Website Redesign-Is It Time For Your Website To Get A Wake Up Call?
This is definitely one of the greatest posts I’ve ever read on the “rude awakening” for many entrepreneurs. We are bombarded every day with so many overnight “success” stories that sometimes we start believing them. Reality is so far from this picture. Persistence, work, work and then work some more, you couldn’t have described it better!
WONDERFUL post, Norma! I especially loved your “Your Business is Like a GARDEN” visualization steps. I very much agree – you have to identify what success looks like for you and stick with it – no matter what. I remember when I’d jump from this idea to the next idea and boy did that keep me treading water for a long time. Thanks for all of these great tips!
Great lists and great article. I love reading what you write and I loved your comparison of a business to a garden :)
Great post Norma! You are so right that most of the hard work is personal development work. YOU have to be willing to change and grow because you can’t keep doing the same things and expect different results.
Helena Bowers recently posted…Six Tips For Becoming More Persistent
This is a great post, Norma. My favorite part is the garden visual. Love that! Thanks so much for everything you do.
Shari recently posted…Three things: healthy habits
Norma, you truly gave us some pearls of wisdom!!! Thanks!
Yvonne Brown
YES! “You cannot wish your way to success” – totally – that one is golden – you need to plaster that quote all over social media, haha :) Love it.
What a great message!
What a powerful article today, Norma. I love it. It doesn’t beat around the bush making building a business sound all glorious and “easy” as if there were a button to push and it would magically appear. I’ve been building my community, my business for years and just like you some seeds have grown, died off and withered away and some are still growing not to full maturity. However, I’ve not quit planting and learning and growing…the farmer can not quit or all the crops will die. Excellent you had me to the end :)
Carla J Gardiner recently posted…Warning Don’t Be Caught Unprepared for the Journey
I decided a long time ago that what I do was out of my love for children…my reward is the note or email from parents saying thank you. To me that is success! The monetary profit is secondary!
denny hagel recently posted…3 Key Steps to Guiding Children through Challenging Times
Thanks for such an inspiring message, Norma. We must never ever give up on our dreams! :)
Alexandra McAllister recently posted…What Is Rippln Mobile Marketing App
You speak such truth Norma and I’ll admit, I’ve been the one who has thought “if I just” manna will fall into my lap. Hasn’t happened that way (no duh, eh) and I totally agree that 90% of this is personal development or mindset. That’s actually one of the reasons I struggled with defining my marketplace! I KNOW it starts with that, not with some tool or technology or program.
MamaRed recently posted…10 ways coaches can use use mind mapping to build their business
A great reminder for all of us in our own businesses. Change is our only constant! And yes, I agree, it’s all about us- our personal development and love.
Barbara Becker recently posted…When Your Life Doesn’t Go As You Planned
A great message we can all learn from Norma! We have to just keep pushing through :)
Anita recently posted…One Way To Effective Time Management
Great post Norma, I like your quote ” you cannot wish yourself to success” that was awesome. I know too many people who feel the need to buy likes and comments and forget that you have to Chug Chug your way to the top…even when you don’t see immediate results.
Tom Holmberg recently posted…Napa Valley Gastronomic Tour – Top 10 Winery Experiences Part 2
“You cannot wish yourself to success” says it all, especially in a world where everyone is looking for the quick and easy solution. Norma, your post is full of excellent advice to be successful. Thanks for sharing!
Great points Norma, a lot of people quit when they don’t get result right away not understanding that a business is definitely like a garden that must be cared for in order for crops to be produced.
Karla Campos recently posted…Recap of WordCamp Miami 2013
Perseverance means sticking to it whether the feelings are there or not. Whether you feel like it today or NOT! <~~~~ this and fear are the two things that hold people back! Great job Norma!
elizabeth maness recently posted…How to Write Blog Headlines Your Readers Can’t Resist
It takes time to be an overnight success.
I like how you said to be successful, do the work!
Angela Giles recently posted…Is Your Comfort Zone Making You Money?
I agree, Norma, 90% of the hard work is PERSONAL Development. Thanks for another excellent, informative article! I also like the idea of our “business being a garden” and the visual you describe! :)
Alexandra McAllister recently posted…What Is Rippln Mobile Marketing App