I’ve been thinking a lot about how much we, as a culture and society, have become accustomed to instant gratification. Smartphones, the internet, technology in general, have made things so convenient for us. We get frustrated when things don’t work out in the time frame we want them to. If someone doesn’t answer a text within the arbitrary time we allot them to answer it in, we assume they’re ignoring us.

Well, not everything in life is this way.

(street art at 11th & Locust, Downtown, St. Louis)

Working in business development, sales, and customer service, I know this to be true: things don’t happen overnight, they take time and patience. The same goes for many goals we set for ourselves. We all want to run the marathon, the mother of all running events, but first, we have to run the 5k. If you start out trying to run a marathon without the proper training, one of two things will happen: 1) You won’t complete the race. 2) You’ll probably be badly injured and won’t be able to run at all.

So, don’t force it.

There have been situations where I tried too hard to make something happen, even though my actions seemed counterintuitive. Lo and behold, it didn’t work out. There are times when I sit down, and try to write a blog, email, tweet, text, or whatever, and I end up deleting it because it feels forced.

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying cease your efforts altogether, but instead…do what feels right and natural. If you’re trying to force your way in at a job interview, business meeting, conversation, or partnership, and it feels wrong - it’s probably not going to end up feeling right in the long run.

Stay positive. The next opportunity that does feel right could be right around the corner.