TSSI #18 - Lengthen Your Timeline
Read Time: 2 minutes
Before he was Han Solo or Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford was a carpenter.
In 1964, Ford moved to Hollywood to become an actor.
“But I arrived on a metaphoric bus full of people who had the same ambition,” he said.
So he came up with this plan to prevail over the competition:
As Ford spent time around the other aspiring actors on that metaphoric bus, he became aware of something:
Most of them were in a hurry.
They were in a hurry to “make it” or to make lots of money or to prove something to someone.
Whatever the reason, most were on a tight timeline.
So Ford's plan was to do the opposite: to lengthen his timeline.
To do so, Ford said, "I had to have another source of income. So I became a carpenter."
“By doing carpentry," he explained, "I was able to wait it out.
And as the years went by, the attrition rate eliminated many of those people from the competition pool until finally, there were only a few of us left on the bus from that entering class.
I always saw life that way—you just have to find a way to stick it out, to prevail.”
(Credit to Billy Oppenheimer for this story)
Takeaway 1 -
The easiest way to succeed is to stay in the game the longest.
I’ve seen countless examples, particularly in tennis, where very very average players seem to achieve great things eventually. Just by staying in the game the longest (to some extent I was one of them).
Firstly, it’s the natural progression. Every year, players retire and quit the sport. So naturally, everyone will move up a few spots each year.
The more years you stay in your sport (given that you maintain or keep improving your level compared to the competition) the higher you will climb up the rankings.
Secondly, the longer you stay in the game, the more you learn about what works for you and the more experience you gain.
Sure, there are the outliers in all sports that shoot to the top of the game while they’re still teenagers. But, that not the reality for 99% of athletes.
Takeaway 2-
If given the option to achieve a goal in 2 years or 10 years, we’d always choose 2 years.
We all prefer to get our way more quickly. But to extend your timeline, it requires huge patience.
Not just patience, but an enjoyment for what you do.
It’s going to be very hard to stay in the game for 10 years if you hate the day to day work.
You might be able to bare it for 2 years, but staying disciplined and consistent to something that you hate for 10 years is impossible.
Application
Have a long-term vision like Harrison Ford.
When we get impatient and want results quickly like the rest of the metaphorical bus load of actors, athletes or entrepreneurs, we get discouraged quickly & burnout.
If we can think long-term and build for the future, it means we can set aside our desire for the quick wins and build something sustainable.
To be able to do this, you must enjoy the process. Choose a sport or discipline that you absolutely love.
Loving the process is the only way to extend your timeline and build towards the future.
