Why Overnight Success is a Myth

It is obvious that in today's culture of immediate satisfaction and entitlement, hard work is often viewed as a relic of the past. I too was raised by a single mother in the 60's when even the Catholic church excommunicated divorcees who were the subject of such. I grew up w/o a male influence and w/o parameters of acceptable behavior as a result of my mother working two full-time jobs. I roamed the streets until all hours and by mere luck, managed to avoid jail and the courts for anything serious. Many of the people that I associated with were not so fortunate. I joined the Marine Corps at the age of eighteen and learned valuable lessons about respect, honor, loyalty and perseverance. I often reiterate to others facing hardship that: "Life is a series of successive obstacles. When you encounter such, you are given the innate ability to choose how you react. When you choose correctly, you will more than likely not encounter that obstacle again. Or, if you do, you already know the correct response. However, if you make the wrong decision, there are repercussions and you are destined to repeat that obstacle repeatedly throughout life until you come upon the right decision." That philosophy is imperative for those that wish to succeed.