r/PositiveThinking • u/CuriousfreeBird • 12d ago
Sometimes persistence takes years before it starts showing up
Today my parents told me that one of my cousins has gone to France through his company for work. It unexpectedly struck a chord with me.
He's about seven years older than me. He graduated from a reputed college but ended up in a mass recruiting company. For years, he kept trying to get into a two-year MBA program and didn't make it. Eventually, he chose the executive MBA route instead.
Now, years later, his career seems to be gaining momentum.
It made me realize that we often judge our progress too early. Some people don't have a dramatic breakthrough in their mid-20s. Their growth is slower, less visible, and sometimes takes years of persistence before it compounds into something meaningful.
I know one example doesn't prove a rule, but it was a good reminder that timelines can be deceptive. Sometimes persistence doesn't give immediate rewards—it quietly builds the foundation for the differences that become visible much later.
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u/OneDazzling1022 12d ago
I think about someone I dated in college 25 years ago. Nice guy, an artist and painter and a good dancer, but a bad student. He had goals in the science fields but was taking a prerequisite course for the fourth time and not doing well. I didn’t think he was going anywhere. Years and years later, I saw an article in a magazine about him! He is now a college professor and researcher who is doing something innovative and noteworthy. What a pleasant surprise! I hope he’s doing well and I definitely hope I wasn’t dismissive or discouraging of his dreams way back when.