Many of us tend to have short-sighted perspectives on life. Let's imagine you're in your prime working years, roughly from 20s to 50s, giving you a span of three decades. At the age of 30, you discover a passion for coding, data science, or perhaps creating a YouTube channel reflecting your personality. You make the bold decision to switch careers, leaving behind a job that no longer fulfills you. It's a significant life change that promises long-term benefits.
Over the next few years, you fully commit yourself to learning, making sacrifices, and studying diligently. You cut down on social plans, cancel trips and say no to your friends to going out. Despite the challenges, you persevere. You dedicate yourself to mastering coding, working on projects, and making new connections.
After about two to three years of dedication, you emerge with valuable skills that makes you a valuable candidate in the job market. You secure a position that not only aligns with your passion but also offers a substantial increase in salary and career growth.
In contrast, many people seek quick fixes and instant gratification, unwilling to invest time and effort in long-term growth. They complain about the economy, leave negative comments on social media, or jump from one tutorial to another without making real progress.
Years of "trying to make it" goes by, but instead of personal and professional growth, it's years of wasted effort, stagnation and perhaps even false sense of progression. You find yourself back at square one, with little to show for your time and energy. This underscores the importance of strategic planning, adopting a long-term mindset and realising nothing is built overnight. In fact I honestly think most of good things is life take longer than we expect.
That being said it is crucial to have a long term plan with a good strategy. Otherwise you might just end up wasting weeks and months without any real progress.