Don't envy success, envy willpower
These days, most of us are obsessed with case studies of very successful people. It can be the next billion-dollar startup and its very proud team of founders or a YouTuber with over two million subscribers. Inevitably, we might find ourselves admiring and envying their success. However, it is understandable; the glitter of achievement is hard to ignore. However, here's the thing: success is simply the result of hard work and patience, and we tend not to remember that.
As I mentioned earlier, I was that guy who always sorted out the success stories. I would spend hours on YouTube, watching videos of successful people and consuming their stories. I didn't know when it happened, but I suddenly found myself appreciating surviving/overcoming challenging situations. Take, for instance, our little venture Boomslank; not many outsiders are aware of what we do to get that one extra fan.
My brothers and I are constantly wracking our brains, trying to figure out how we can grow our brand awareness. We are always coming up with random ideas. Some of them work very well; some of them fail badly. We are always trying to figure out how to make our conventions cheaper to operate and more profitable. Take it from me; conventions are a lot of work. You have to pack your goods, figure out how to ship them, set up your booth, and make sure you are friendly to customers. Conventions can be pretty daunting, and sometimes you start to wonder if you're on the right track. On the day we incorporated our company, I had to go to court to obtain a business license, which, quite honestly, was just bureaucracy at its worst. The experience was just horrible, and it showed me how inefficient government bureaucracy could be. Needless to say, I managed to overcome that mind-numbing obstacle, and my brothers and I are still coming up with ideas to help the brand grow.
I am saying all this to try to point out what matters: willpower. If success is a finished artwork/product, willpower is the skill that created it. By comparison, willpower is far more dynamic than success. Success is static; it is simply the end of the road. Willpower is more of an intrinsic attribute that goes with you wherever you go. Your willpower will see you through no matter what your next venture. Your willpower determines whether you outlast, outperform, and defeat your opponents. Success is what comes after you've done those things. Success is the veil, the cover that people admire instead of what's underneath it, which is willpower.
The mystique of willpower is why I love one of our latest shirts - Heavy Bag. Most of you would look at the shirt and admire the ridiculous definition and dense muscles of the boxer; however, what I see is the willpower that allowed him to push himself almost past human limitations to achieve his current strength and physique. What I admire is what I assume is his incredible willpower.
