The naturalist accomplishes a great deal by patience, more perhaps than by activity. He must take his position, and then wait and watch.
– Thoreau Journal, March 31, 1858
Space Mountain opened at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in 1975. It’s an indoor roller coaster experienced entirely in the dark, as if riding through space. It’s a must-see destination for many Disney visitors. But the idea for Space Mountain took some 10 years of waiting before it came to be. When Walt Disney imagined this flight through outer space, the technology didn’t yet exist to make it a reality. Imagineer John Hench loved the idea so much that he built a model of the attraction and put it in his office. Then he waited. And waited. Ten years went by, Walt Disney died, and finally, the technology progressed enough to finally bring Walt’s imagination to life. Patience paid off.
Patience is a hallmark of success in every aspect of life. The very nature of progress depends on incremental steps taken over a period of time. The stretch of time of an activity is important. Craig Mod notes that “long” must be counted in weeks, at a minimum. Nassim Nicholas Taleb says, “most people give up before the rewards.”
To achieve anything worthwhile, we must continue working, we must continue the seemingly insurmountable climb. Rapper 50 Cent says boredom is the great enemy of those who crave instant gratification. He says, “Most people can’t handle boredom. That means they can’t stay on one thing until they get good at it.”
Whether you want to be a naturalist, a rapper, a businessman, or an author, the key to achieving your end is patience with the process. Jane Goodall spent 60 years studying chimpanzees in the wild. She had no formal training when she started, but she did have a curious mind. Follow your curiosity, find something you love, and focus on it intently. Fulfillment will rise from your boredom.
