By Koua Vang, Star Search Academy 

Do you want to be successful? Do you want change? If you want to change your life, you first must know where you are going. We all know that to get from one place to another, we map quest for directions. However, we never take the time to map quest our lives, our careers and our successes. Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, “you are the captain of your ship and if you don’t know where you are going you will only be dripping around and go nowhere.” If you want to change your life, you must first have an idea of where you are going. Second, obtain resources to help you get to where you are going. Third, you must be very patient. 

There is a saying that patience is a virtue. What does this mean? Patience is a virtue means to be able to wait for something without becoming frustrated which is a valuable character trait. In businesses as in life, if you can implement the patience is a virtue concept you will do well in life and in business. 

Success does not come easy.  Success is not an accident.  In order to accomplish greatness, and/or great things that are worth while will take 10 years or even 20 years. Here are two stories that showcase the idea of know where you are going, getting the resources needed for the journey, and apply the art of being patient. 

Jack Ma, a Chinese businessman, and an entrepreneur, found Alibaba on 1999 with his 18 friends in his apartment. He knew exactly where he was going, he gathered all the resources needed and was very patient. When he first started the company, no one believed in him because at the time the internet in China was very limited. He had a vision; he believed in the company and it took him almost 20 years to reach the mountain top. According to Forbes, Jack Ma's net worth is $43.8 billion USD as of 2020. He is one of China’s richest men. 

Here is another story. This is a story about a man who started the company Amazon, a business that began by  selling books online. Jeff Bezos is the CEO and Founder of Amazon. He left a six figures salary job to found Amazon in 1999. He saw how the internet could change the way people do businesses. He started Amazon and believed in the company.  He had an idea, gathered all the resources needed, and he was very patient. 

These days we can get most of the things with a click of a mouse. Know that nothing great can be accomplished with a click of a mouse. Great things take energy and time to accomplish. Many people who have no energy and no patience will give up in the middle of the journey and never get to their destination.  It took Jeff Bezos about 19 years to become  the richest man on the planet with a net worth of $149 billion USD in 2020, because he started with an idea, utilized resources and implemented the art of being patient.  

These two men map quested their ways to success by having ideas, knowing where they are going, gathering the resources for the journeys, and implementing the concept that patience is a virtue. Believe and remember that good things really do come to those who are willing to wait for them.