It was about 17 years ago.

I was coming back from a vendor event, and I got back to work just in time that morning.

And something hit me:

I can’t do this forever.

This job doesn’t make me happy.

It’s stifling my creativity.

I’ve got to change something. Immediately.

In 2009, I started my first company.

And it took me almost two years to get any real traction.

Most people probably would have given up during that time.

But going to work every day reminded me that I had two choices:

Endure or settle.

So I kept going.

By the time I jumped out full-time in 2011, the money still didn’t reflect what I believed was possible.

But I got to a point where I felt like I had to take the risk.

It was one of those moments where I thought:

“If I just had more time to do this, I believe this thing would explode.”

I’m not going to lie.

I was afraid.

But eventually, courage replaced that fear.

Fast-forward to today.

I might have posted 400 videos on Instagram, and some of them didn’t get the response I thought they would.

Some had views.

Some didn’t.

Some gave a tremendous amount of value but barely got seen.

And sometimes that’s just how it goes.

You can pour your heart into something…

Give it everything you have…

And what you thought was going to happen simply doesn’t happen in that moment.

But something convicted me recently while I was archiving some of those old Instagram posts.

The views don’t always tell the whole story.

Especially not right away.

Every piece of content is an asset.

If it’s still there, someone can discover it months or even years from now.

So I’m writing this today as a reminder to myself:

Leave the content.

Especially when you took the time to bring real value.

Don’t let a low number convince you that the work wasn’t valuable.

And I’m bringing up these two seasons of my life because I want to remind you of something:

Building a business takes time.

If somebody jumps into business and everything takes off immediately, that’s the exception—not the rule.

Most of us go through months and years of lessons, 

Becoming the person capable of handling the business.

Becoming more productive.

Becoming a better communicator.

Learning how to sell.

Learning how to create systems.

Learning how to lead.

Learning how to keep going when the results don’t match the effort.

It all takes time.

There is no overnight.

And I constantly have to remind myself of that, even while building businesses today.

Daymond John talked about this in The Power of Broke.

After building FUBU over years, he later found himself trying to throw money at other businesses because he had already experienced success.

That was a reminder in itself:

You can’t skip the process just because you want the result.

So if you’re reading this, let this be a reminder:

Some days it might look like you’re swimming.

Some days it might feel like you’re drowning.

But the land might be closer than you think.

The fog might be blocking your view.

All you can see is the repetition.

The same work.

The same posts.

The same calls.

The same lessons.

The same process.

And you may not realize it yet…

But it’s working.

It’s either working on you…

Or it’s working for you.

Either way…

Keep going.