Why Overnight Success Is a Myth Holding You Back

Here’s why

Are you seduced by the idea of overnight success? Do you think it is possible to have it all at once? Is overnight success all about being in the right place at the right time?

Let’s get straight to the point. Overnight success is a myth.

What most people call overnight success is actually just success. Overnight success doesn’t exist, especially in startup and corporate world. There’s no fast track to success. It takes time.

“If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” — Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple

A common obstacle in your desire to become successful is the unconscious wish for overnight success and obtaining success all of a sudden. This wish makes you impatient, more willing to take short cuts, and can impact your performance and judgment.

Let’s take a deep dive into overnight success and give some examples to debunk the myth.

What is overnight success really?

Overnight success, by definition, is something that becomes successful very quickly.

In other words, overnight success is the market or the general public suddenly realizing the value of a great product, service, or person.

“It takes 20 years to make an overnight success.” — Eddie Cantor, an American singer and comedian

We live in a world of instant gratification. We demand information and entertainment immediately. We want our products delivered today.

You probably see “overnight success” everywhere. It’s ingrained our culture. It’s easy to fall into the trap that success can happen quickly.

Three examples of successful people

There are three examples of famous people who come to mind that illustrate why overnight success is a myth holding you back.

Britney Spears

Singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress Britney Spears’ hit single Baby One More Time reached the top of the pop chart in 1999. According to the media, Britney Spears was an overnight success and a global pop superstar. But she wasn’t.

When she was 8 years old, she auditioned for a spot on the The All-New Mickey Mouse Club and didn’t get the part. Three years later, she finally made it and starred alongside singer and actor Justin Timberlake, singer and actress Christina Aguilera, and actress Keri Russell. The show was cancelled in 1995. After regrouping from the show’s cancellation, she released her hit song four years later.

Bill Gates

Entrepreneur and businessman Bill Gates is one of the world’s richest people. Bill Gates’ first startup, Traf-O-Data, a startup created to read the raw data from roadway traffic counters and create reports for traffic engineers. Bill partnered with Paul Allen and Paul Gilbert.

The startup didn’t make any money. Bill learned a lot from the experience. The failure was instrumental in making his next startup, Microsoft, a huge success.

James Dyson

James Dyson is founder of the Dyson vacuum cleaner, the first “bagless” vacuum cleaner. He was frustrated with his vacuum cleaner’s bad performance and discovered his bag was clogging with dust and that caused the suction to drop.

He produced 5,127 failed prototypes before his first “bagless” model was proven successful. His journey took 15 years.

Overnight success is snake oil

These three examples above point that overnight success is a myth. It takes years of learning. Years of failure. Years to perfect a craft.

Brittany Spears, Bill Gates, and James Dyson all overcame disappointment to reach their success.

The idea of overnight success is a misconception. To plan your life around it is senseless and reckless.

“Timing perseverance and 10 years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success” — Biz Stone, an American entrepreneur who is the co-founder of Twitter

Success takes hard work. It takes courage. It takes resilience. Success takes patience. It takes one step at a time.

Any opportunity that promises “overnight success” is snake oil.

Snake oil is defined as an item for sale which doesn’t produce the advertised effects. It originated from when mineral oil was sold as a “cure-all elixir” for physiological problems.

We love the idea and concept of sudden success but we shouldn’t. It skips the key ingredient: the hard work over a long period of time.

“Success is simple, but isn’t easy because it demands execution, not intentions.” — Orrin Woodward, New York Times best selling author

Success is about the journey rather than the destination. Success is about the process not the outcome. Success is about creating the momentum through your daily habits, your persistence, and your determination to be the best.

The illusion of the bamboo forest

One of the best metaphors for how overnight success can be deceiving is the bamboo forest. Bamboo is one of the strongest and most adaptable plants around.

When you look at a bamboo forest it seems like it happened overnight. It’s an illusion.

Bamboo seedlings don’t rise above ground for at least 5 years. Underneath bamboo is a complex root system that can support rapid growth. Once its roots are in place, the bamboo shifts toward growing the cane. It’s the roots, the growth under the surface that people can’t see.

As you embark on your entrepreneurial adventure and/or personal career development journey, remember that’s it’s under-the-surface growth that is critical to your success.

You may eventually get a “look at that overnight success” comment and when you do, you’ll understand it was your determination, your persistence, and your courage that was the key to your success. It was your hard work and the life lessons you learned from your failures that made your success possible.

Bringing it all together

The concept of overnight success is disingenuous. It just doesn’t exist. Don’t fall for the concept.

“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” — Dwayne Johnson, also known as “The Rock,” is an American-Canadian actor, producer, and retired professional wrestler

Even if overnight success was real, you shouldn’t own it because you didn’t earn it. You wouldn’t be ready for it. Success comes when you put in the hard work, trust in the process, and learn from your mistakes.

Don’t be lured by the idea of overnight success. It’s holding you back. There’s no fast track to success. It takes time and hard work. Stay strong.

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