A relative of mine pointed out how impatient I was in my younger days. “The problem with your generation,” she would say, “is that you don’t put in the time and dedication for anything to work. You have big dreams, but you give up too easy”.
As a teenager, I dismissed her comments and thought they were irrelevant.
It wasn’t until I gave up on a small business idea that I started in college a few years later that I started paying attention to her advice.
“If you just dedicate time and persistence to anything in life, it will become a success,” she had said.
Over the years, I learnt to become more patient. I knew that the success stories we hear about are the result of long years of hard work.
Eventually, I got better at focusing on future goals. Just as my relative had advised, I realised that success — be it on business or personal front — is about showing up every single day, and consistently dedicating time and effort to developing your business, abilities, skills and brand.
While we can’t guarantee that our business journey will be free of challenges, we can control the time we dedicate to our business and trust that persistence results in success in the long run.
Back in my teenage years, even though I was impatient, I was always a dreamer. Like many entrepreneurs, I dreamt of success and a corner, beach-view office.
But dreaming is not enough, like my relative said. To realise my dreams, I needed to believe that my efforts will pay off eventually.
Impatience isn’t unique to me. It’s a pattern I see with many young entrepreneurs. I have worked with a number of young mentees and interns, whose passion and hard work inspire me to think outside the box and to be unconventional.
I have also seen how disheartened they get when dealing with multiple rejections, and how impatient they might get when they don’t see results shortly after pursuing their dream business.
It’s easy to think that only certain kinds of entrepreneurs can make it … those with more experience, with the right background, or those who just got lucky. Though it may be the case for some, it’s not the rule, but an exception.
From what I have seen over the past 12 years, what separates those who make it big in life from those who don’t, is their continuous dedication and commitment to learn, grow and realise their goals.
That consistency is the reason behind every successful entrepreneur I know of, and this is what I urge young and future entrepreneurs to keep in mind.
Commitment and consistency are hard to keep up, especially amid uncertain times, and that’s why not many entrepreneurs end up being successful. But the more committed and persistent you are, the closer you are to realising your goals.
If you are constantly developing your business, learning, growing and networking, it is bound to expand.
I urge young entrepreneurs to ask themselves: do you have what it takes to be persistent to realise your goals?
I promise, that if you do, the results are worth the wait.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and communications consultant based in Abu Dhabi
