So often people are keen on praising huge accomplishments and brilliant stories of success, that they barely notice what really stands behind those triumphs.

Folks would rather say those guys suddenly appeared from nowhere and they are the next example of an overnight success, than take a minute in order to figure out how they actually reached a peak.

Usually, the most visible parts of every success are gold medals, fancy photos on the covers of top magazines and the names in the Forbes` lists.

But that is just a tip of an iceberg. The most beautiful, exciting and fascinating part — happy ending of the story.

In most cases, what may seem an instant success out of nowhere is actually the result of way more unattractive, difficult and exhaustive journey, that is usually out of sight.

Every story of success consists of years of hard and dedicated work. Every outstanding person or company has gone through long process of trials and errors, ups and downs, wins and losses.

The journey from mediocrity to greatness takes time, usually a lot. Everything that is worth doing takes years. This is a trip not everybody is ready to commit to.

This commitment is usually reflected in day by day, step by step progress. Moreover, nobody can really tell you where that turning point that kicked off their glorious success was.

Most likely because there is no such a point.

That long process was by itself an integral part of the whole story.

Indeed, eventually, everything boils down to one simple thing: Consistent evolution. This is actually what you need. The more you work in the field you want to excel in, the closer you get to the things you want to accomplish.

Learn to accept that not all of your work will be transformed into something incredible. Not all your blog posts will be read by hundreds of thousands. Not all your projects will be as profitable as you want. Not all your initiatives will be greatly supported.

Nevertheless, every single attempt is an integral part of your learning.

Furthermore, you should aim at making as many attempts as possible. You have to get everything right. You have to figure everything out. You have to build a solid basis for new discoveries.

With every new attempt you will approach the things from different angles, correcting past mistakes and paying attention to important issues.

The idea you need to embrace is that the eternal trade-off between quantity and quality is absolutely irrelevant.

They do not contradict each other, but rather act as a cause and effect. Think of them as undivided integral parts of your personal growth.

You do not have to choose what to focus on. There is no trade-off between quantity and quality.

The truth is quality comes with quantity.

The more you produce, the higher the grade of your output.

Plant a lot, harvest a few.

Some of your results will make you be proud of yourself. Meanwhile the majority will not jump higher the “mediocrity” bar. However, it does not mean you do not need them. They are means of learning and this is where their biggest value is.

With an every new skill and every bit of knowledge acquired your potential keeps on growing. You gradually accumulate experience. You increase your expertise. You consistently become stronger and less vulnerable.

Sometimes you even might not be aware how huge coming changes are. It will become clear later. However as soon as you decide to convert your accumulated potential into certain results, your goals will be fulfilled by their own.

Do not try to cut corners too often. Move gradually along the chosen path.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. — Aristotle

Once you have made a shift from mediocrity to greatness you need to get ready to face absolutely different set of issues. Your main task will be to remain in the cohort of successful ones by maintaining and improving the results achieved.

But that is another story.