I feel like I’ve been really short-sighted, for such a long time. Wanting immediate, or near-term success in almost everything I’ve done.

And when it hasn’t worked out, I’ve usually given up and closed that chapter.

“You gave it your best shot. It just doesn’t work,” I’d say to myself.

Just like that, a vision that was supposed to fully manifest in 5 or 10 years is left by the wayside.

I remember starting Kev Solns back in 2019 and telling myself I’d be the best in the country at what I did.

And to a large extent, I did attain some incredible success rather quickly, thanks be to God.

But no path is without obstacles.

I eventually hit some rather large roadblocks in my bid to acquire big-name clients for Digital Advertising. 

Google Ads were relatively new in the country – I’d only seen 3 companies use them – and they were a complete game-changer in terms of efficiency.

They were cheaper, wider-reaching, customizable, and provided detailed feedback on the effectiveness of your marketing campaign. I was super excited to bring this marvelous technology to the market.

I’d worked on a strategy, and perfected my approach, my timing, and my presentation.

But I didn’t land a single one of the clients I targeted in that period.

Some weren’t interested in upgrading to digital, some already had agencies managing them, some were really interested but needed lots of approval from their superiors, and others just didn’t have the money.

I felt frustrated.

I had a great product. With great results that companies actually needed.

But they’d said no. And there was nothing I could do.

So I gave up on that chapter and stuck to websites and writing.

That’s where I went on to have most of my success.

DIFFERENT ROAD, SAME PROBLEM

Soon enough, however, I hit a roadblock in that too.

The clients stopped flowing like a river and started dripping like a tap instead.

Drip. Drip. Nothing. Drip.

I’d gotten intoxicated by the good times, assuming the river will always flow that easily.

I forgot that success requires you to put in huge, consistent effort in looking for clients, and that – even as you do your best – there will always be dry seasons.

And while I didn’t really close that chapter this time, I still grew frustrated by the lack of immediate results from my efforts, and started focusing on other things.

Thank God I recently had an epiphany, where I resolved to resume the project – this time committing to a longer time frame for success. Free from the pressures of needing immediate results, and allowing me to do better, deeper work on growing the brand.

THE UNIVERSE SPEAKS

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it takes to be successful. And in a funny way the things I’ve been seeing, reading, or listening to all just contrived to give me the same message as my answer:

“Long-term Vision, Daily Dedication, Patience”.

Four different people, from four different walks of life – all wildly successful – and their message boiled down to those three things.

These people put in ridiculous hours of work a day, driven by a 5 or 10-year goal.

Those are two components I lacked or didn’t focus enough on – consistent single-mindedness, and a long-term view of your goals – because I was easily affected by short-term happenings.

Do these people not get setbacks? Don’t they face obstacles they feel they may not be able to overcome?

Of course they do.

But they don’t let that frustration get to them.

Because they’re committed to that 5 or 10-year goal and will not be swayed by temporary setbacks.

They’ll just keep going no matter what.

And in the end, they’ll most likely achieve their goal – or even supersede it.

GREAT SUCCESS REQUIRES SACRIFICE AND A LITTLE BIT OF MADNESS

What got you here won’t get you there.

Normal people put in normal effort, and resultantly they get normal efforts.

That’s 90% of the population.

The other 10% put in abnormal effort, and reap abnormal results.

That abnormal level of effort requires you to sacrifice things the 90% aren’t willing to.

That’s why it’s so hard. And that’s why so few people do it.

But I want to do it. Or at least my own version of it.

I don’t want to be as rich as Bezos or Aliko Dangote (Okay I’m not aiming to be. However, billions $ please you’re highly welcome if you’re looking my way) but I want to have enough to enable me to do all the things I want to do.

Have a great life for me and my loved ones, help as many people as possible, and engineer social change so our people can uplift themselves without depending on handouts or government aid.

None of that is possible without significant financial resources.

So I have to put in the abnormal effort.

And to me that starts with absorbing that 5-year vision, and living and breathing it every day until I get there.

No more getting sidetracked by short-term success or setbacks.

No more hitting roadblocks and giving up.

I will persist until I succeed.

Long-term vision, daily dedication, patience.

See you in 5 years.

. . . . . . . .

Author’s note:

On top of writing, we’re the best Website Designers in Uganda, providing world-class websites for your business or organization – as well as  Hosting services and Search Engine Optimization.

We also build brands through Digital Advertising. We run affordable, high-performance advertising campaigns to help businesses grow.

Check out our Home and Services pages for examples of the work we’ve done, and to see how we may be of service to you.

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