Many people mistake patience for inaction. In reality, productive patience is constant activity towards a long term goal.

I’m constantly reminded of how we train ourselves to expect instant gratification constantly.

Whether the root is television, technology, or the internet, there has been a dilution of perseverance and patience in our society.

Everyone wants a solution immediately, and if the solution doesn’t show itself quickly, then we tend to abandon our endeavors and move on. In essence, we’ve trained ourselves to become ADD.

Someone once told me that the cause was these sitcom television shows. We watch these shows which starts with the development of a problem. Then the characters all work to solve the problem. They have a few laughs along the way.

In the end, all the problems are solved in 30 minutes or less. The feeling is that we’ve come to expect life’s issues to also be solved in 30 minutes or less.

Life is a journey, not a series of problems to be solved. That journey will take years. And over that time, instead of instantly reaching your goals, you evolve towards them.

In the same way, blogging is an evolution. Even earning income from a blog is an process. There is no such thing as getting rich quick and easy online.

Don’t Give Up Too Quickly

Many new bloggers fall into the trap of blogging for a few months and then giving up when they feel like they haven’t made quick progress.

When you start, you will be enthusiastic about your blog. Your energy will carry you through the long days of link building and gathering traffic. You will tell yourself not to expect income right away because you just started.

However, by the second month, your excitement may wane. You’re expecting Google to send you thousands of visitors by now, but you are getting 50-100 per day. Those visitors are generating maybe a couple of dollars for the months.

The third month is where you hear the stories of the new bloggers giving up. They figure they didn’t make it because their website hasn’t gotten to the first page of Google and they’re not making millions yet, so they give up.

Blogging is a Process

What I’ve discovered is that your blog will grow over the course of time and build momentum.

Blogging, like life, is a process. Where else in life would you expect to succeed so quickly?

If you opened a restaurant on the street corner, you’d plan for a year to be successful. If you met the girl of your dreams, you’d expect a lifetime of learning how to succeed in your relationship. In no other endeavor would you expect to find all the answers in 2-3 months time.

The reality is that those blogs giving up after a few months may be on the threshold of success.

One thing I’ve learned about online business, is that it tends to gather momentum. In that first month, you may have a little progress, but each month, your site grows a little. It’s a gradual process that can lead to success, but you must plan for years, not months.

As anything life, I would be proud to see my projects thriving over the test of time, rather than just hoping for instant gratification.

As a parent, I would be proud to see my child learn patience and perseverance.

As a blogger, I would be proud to see this blog stand the test of time.