It Takes a LongTime to Get a Gate!

“It takes a long time to get a gate!”

A good friend of mine tells of an older man who lived in a nice house with shutters on either side of the windows and a white fence that surrounded the property. His curvy driveway was bordered by well-manicured grass and shrubs, and at the end of the driveway hung a gate that could be closed electronically at night for security. It could be the picture you would see on a postcard or in a magazine portraying the ‘good life’!

His nephew visited not long ago with his new bride and they were gushing about how wonderful it must be to have land, a white fence, horses and such a beautiful gate. The nephew eventually said, “I want a gate like that!” The older man straightened up and said, “Son, it takes a long time to get a gate!”

Two worlds collided in that moment.

The older man was remembering all the years that he had spent working toward owning that piece of property and the planning and preparation that had gone into getting where he was in life, while the younger of the two was only seeing the gorgeous gate and the American Dream that was spread out before him in the warm sunlight. He simply had no clue how long and hard his uncle had worked to accomplish the goals that he had set for himself years and years before that day.

May I repeat it? “It takes a long time to get a gate!”

We live in a microwave society. We have produced a generation that seems to think that money grows on trees. We use instant potatoes, instant cake mixes, fast food and an ‘I want it ’ mentality! I have even heard of those who actually pray for patience and use that line: ‘I want it NOW’’! Ironic, isn’t it?

When it comes to business, that same mentality spreads like wildfire. All you have to do is advertise ‘push button wealth’ and sales begin to pour in. It ‘ain’t gonna happen, folks!’ There are no instant riches (unless someone leaves you a fortune). It really doesn’t work that way.

I, along with my wife and children, traveled the United States and sang in auditoriums and churches for over 20 years. I wrote a lot of songs that got played on the radio back in the day. A DJ in one of the radio stations wanted to interview me down in one of the southern states and I agreed to stop by the station on the way through his town. He played one of my songs and as it ended, he leaned into his microphone and after a greeting and an introduction, one of his very first questions was, “How do you account for your tremendous overnight success?” I had to laugh! We were having some success, but that didn’t happen until we had been going at it for 15 years or so! Overnight? Hardly!!!

“It takes a long time to get a gate!”

I’m looking at my email inbox right now:

. . .beginners are making money online all over the world!

. . .make money by tomorrow without spending any money!

. . .make 4 figures from a super tiny list!

. . .newbies are quitting their jobs!

News flash! All of these statements are TRUE!!

Beginners ARE making money all over the world, but somebody needs to define ‘beginners’! 2 days? 2 weeks? 2 years?

You really CAN make money by tomorrow without spending any money! But you will have to spend lots of money and a couple of years practicing before you get to that point.

Lots of marketers DO make 4 figures from a super tiny list! But you have to understand that it takes a long time to learn how to do that!

Newbies ARE quitting their jobs! Please don’t quit your job the first time that you make $500! It takes a substantial amount of time before that money comes in consistently!

This is designed to be a warning to beginners. ANYTHING is possible if you set your mind to it. If you have been reading my posts, you know that I believe that strongly, but I get a little frustrated when I talk to people who have been convinced that this is going to happen overnight. It takes a long time.

Sure, some reach their goals quicker than others; some have great success faster than others. All I’m trying to say is don’t get caught up in the hype and be misled into thinking that there is a method or a product that will allow you get rich by next month.

What works today is what has always worked. Set some goals, achieve them one at a time and celebrate each victory while you make plans to conquer the next obstacle in your path. You CAN do it!!

You can. . .

. . .you just don’t know it yet.

Terry Gunn
Originally posted on
ScatteredDucks.com