Patient as Jell-0

Success rarely happens overnight. Most goals can only be reached by keeping the big picture in mind and staying the course until you achieve them.

In 1897, a construction worker named Pearle Wait came up with the idea of mixing fruit flavoring with powdered gelatin. His wife nicknamed the jelly-like substance “Jell-O.” At the time, Pearle made extra money selling homemade medical remedies like cough syrup door to door. He switched to Jell-O. For months, he tried to sell his new product all over town, but he had trouble generating interest. He became so discouraged that he sold the rights for Jell-O to a man named Orator Woodward for only $450. Woodward also struggled to move the product at first, but he had vision and patience. Eventually, he turned his small initial investment into a million-dollar business. Today, over one million boxes of Jell-O are sold every single day.

Hall of fame baseball manager Tommy Lasorda once said, “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in your determination.” Success takes time, patience, and a determination to keep working hard when things get tough. That’s true whether your dream is selling Jell-O or building a strong career, a strong marriage, or a child with strong character.

Whatever your goal, stick with it. Stay on the path to success until you wake one day to discover that your dreams have come true.