Last week, I touched on the idea of macro patience. In the big picture, patience is the only way to go. Success takes time.

But in the short term, there’s more to the equation.

As GaryVee puts it, you need micro speed.

Looking back to Chance the Rapper, I highlighted the fact that he was patient in his pursuit of the limelight. He played the long game, and it took a decade of hard work before he made it big.

But patience is just part of the story.

There are countless patient people out there who will never make it. They’ll sit around, waiting for their shot and complaining when it never comes. And even if it does come, they won’t be ready to capitalize.

It’s easy to dream big. But it’s much harder to put in the work needed to reach those dreams.

That’s why GaryVee stresses the importance of matching your actions to your ambitions.

I improved as a basketball player because I put in the work. I showed up to weekend practices an hour before anyone else to work on my shot. I didn’t go a day during the summer without touching a basketball. I found time and energy to lift weights after practice.

I worked.

Same thing with Chance. He made it because he was patient, and he worked his tail off. He dedicated himself to master his craft, while at the same time hitting the streets to spread the word and grow his brand. He didn’t write a song and then sit around waiting for someone to find him. He made it happen for himself.

If you’ve ever watched Shark Tank, you’ve probably heard the sharks talk about the origins. Mark Cuban likes to talk about how he didn’t take a vacation for years when he was starting out. He’d work all day and then come home and spend hours reading about the latest and greatest technology ao he could stay on the cutting edge.

Same thing with Daymond John. He started his company out of an old house, working every waking hour and traveling around the country to sell his apparel and identify musicians who could grow his brand.

Both of these guys were certainly patient on a macro scale. Success took them years and years.

But on a micro level, they couldn’t have worked any harder than they did. That’s why they’ve been successful.

Success becomes much more likely when you can blend a desire and will to take advantage of every second of every day, while at the same time playing the long game and acknowledging that nothing’s going to come easy.

 

So take a minute to reflect on these two concepts. Think about where you might be lacking either the long-term patience, or the short-term speed that you need.

For me, I know that I’m slacking on a micro level with Get the Most Out of High School. If I truly want to grow my impact, I need to put in more work on a daily and weekly basis. The handful of hours that I’m working each week to write a new article and reach out to a few prospective readers isn’t going to cut it.

So I’m looking for ways that I can hustle more. What I can do to get my name out there, and spread my message.

And this applies to just about every aspect of life.

If you’re working to get in better shape, what are you doing today to reach your goals? What are you doing to exercise? Are you eating the right types of food?

How about if you’re trying to improve your grades? Patience is key since grades certainly won’t change overnight, but the only way to make a measurable difference is by consistently working on it. Working with micro speed could be as simple as committing to not wasting any time when you’re at school. Spending every free moment either learning something new, or working on your homework assignments.

With whatever you have going on, remember that there are two parts to the equation.

Macro patience.

And micro speed.

-Brandon