Things That Take A Long Time (10 examples on the power of time)
As one quote goes, “good things take time, great things take a little longer”. So let’s set aside our search for swiftness and shortcuts. Let’s explore some amazing things that take a long time.
Of course, spontaneity is real, and outliers exist. But this post will highlight examples of things that generally take some time.
Many of these examples are personal – things that I’ve experienced firsthand as a traveling musician with a blog and a passion for adventure filmmaking (and a head that likes to chill in the clouds).
But I hope this post inspires. Because sometimes we all need a little reminder to stay patient and focused, so we can fully appreciate the true power of time.
Alright, enough chit chat – let’s get it.
Things That Take A Long Time to Do (vs. happen)
First, let’s do a little semantic housekeeping.
There’s a difference between things that take a long time to do vs. things that take a long time to happen.
This post focuses on the latter – things that take a while to happen.
Things that take a while to do include anything that’s objectively (to some extent) time consuming, such as:
Writing a thesis
Planning and creating 100 blog posts for a new website
Building a home
Traveling the world
So, for me, the biggest difference is that things that take a while to do focuses more on processes, day-to-day life, daily tasks and hobbies, the things we do and our general actions.
The main examples below are more like the results of the continued actions that take a while to do – the manifestation of patience and continued daily action or momentum.
So let’s dive into all that now.
Great Things Take A Long Time (10 examples)
The examples in this list tend to take a very long time. But it’s not exhaustive.
These are some ideas and examples that I’ve been thinking about personally recently, so this post is really a reflection of my present experiences and mindset.
And of course, let me know in the comments of any other examples you’ve got!
1. Compound Interest
Compound interest is the perfect example of a great thing that takes a long time to realize. But what is it exactly? Let’s start there.
Compound interest is often used in finance and investing, and relates to the exponential effect of interest on principle amounts.
It’s commonplace in investing and for realizing portfolio growth, but it also occurs with skill or knowledge acquisition. That is, over time, learning new things tends to have an exponential effect.
Here’s one of my favorite images depicting this truth in a simple way.
So, if you’re feeling like your motivation is drained, remembering this compound effect can be a quick and useful perspective to lean on.
2. Wisdom
I think we all define wisdom differently, but for our purposes, let’s just say it’s the culmination of experiences, knowledge, self awareness and time.
And it can take a while to hit these enlightened checkpoints.
Of course, some people crack the codes earlier, but generally speaking, I think it’s fair to say that wisdom is something that takes a long time to realize.
I think it’s why we value the advice from older generations so much.
We can get some seriously amazing insights by simply hanging out with people who are older or more experienced than we are in our respective fields and life pursuits.
So rather than just assuming we have all the answers, all the time, let’s take a step back every once in a while, and question the things we think we know.
Let’s remember to listen more than speaking and to give new insights a fair chance – even if they contradict our current beliefs.
3. Talent + Expertise
There’s a common myth about talent that you’re either born with it, or not.
But the science of neuroplasticity (and countless anecdotes and observations) prove this idea is completely wrong.
So while we may not be able to do everything, we can do anything. This should definitely boost motivation.
The only major caveat is that reaching that coveted level of greatness tends to take time.
A long time.
There’s an obvious reason we trust someone with 10, 20 or more years of experience versus someone who’s just started in an industry.
Similarly, there’s a reason a musician who’s been playing live shows for decades is better than a beginner songwriter (well, not including those virtuoso outliers).
4. Evolution + Geological Processes
Evolution generally takes a long time. It’s a slow process of adaptation and change over time. Similarly, the formation of mountains via tectonic processes takes a long time.
Of course, there are examples of faster evolution or changes in gene expression — from some environmental shift favoring another trait (such as this one) — or faster geological shifts, like landslides or erosion after some large weather event.
But for our purposes, I think it’s safe to say that these natural and biological processes generally tend to take a long time.
And we can extend this evolutionary reality to various things.
For example, our personalities, mindsets, emotional maturity and relationships evolve and change over time.
Really, everything is evolving and dynamic – and there are no finish lines.
5. New Habits
This one can vary, but building new habits usually takes some discipline, focus and time.
In fact, according to research from the European Journal of Social Psychology (via Healthline), new habits can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form – which is a pretty large gap.
The study also found that it takes around 66 days, on average, for a new behavior to become automatic.
To be honest, these numbers are not terribly long, but it’s still long enough to make this list.
And I know how hard it can be to stick with forming a new (or breaking an old) habit to the point of it becoming an automatic behavior.
6. Reaching Your Success
Reaching success can take a long time. And it means something different for everyone (i.e., it’s definitely not just monetary).
Of course, some people reach personal success and happiness earlier than others, but it’s usually a dynamic, long-term process of self awareness and goal-setting with various ups and downs.
I suppose this is one of the many reasons why it’s so important to love the process and to live in the present moment.
But I digress…
There are many examples of the long-term time horizon on success, but here are just a few off the top of my head:
Building a brand
Creating a successful business
Creating wealth
Reaching your long-term goals
7. Becoming Fluent In A Second Language
Learning new things is cool. And learning a new language is one of the most rewarding skills to develop.
But it’s usually pretty difficult (depending on your goals and starting point). And of course, there are definitely ways to quicken things – like traveling or living abroad.
But becoming fluent in a language you’re starting from scratch is going to take a long time.
It’s different for everyone, and there are many factors at play, but fluency is definitely one of those coveted goals that can take a pretty long time.
(but it’s totally worth it!)
8. Quality
First steps and initial iterations are rarely the best versions. This is because quality takes testing, patience and constant reiteration.
It takes quantity to reach quality – at scale.
It takes time.
There are countless examples. But here a quick few:
The inevitable failures before reaching success
The road to success is…not linear
A/B split testing in digital marketing
Testing what works and doesn’t, at scale, leads to the most optimized answer
Seminal artworks
Check out Picasso’s early work, for example – it’s very different from what we know him for
Me doing a song-a-day challenge for 1 full year (shameless plug)
I understand the quantity-to-quality rule, so I’m aiming to enhance my songwriting, music production, singing and video-making skills
9. Aha! Moments, Hindsight + Serendipities
We often don’t realize – or appreciate – the slow-moving (sometimes mundane feeling) moments in our day-to-day life.
Until bam!, we’re hit with sudden serendipity and a bright lightbulb turns on.
Hindsight bias, aha! moments and everything in between is a culmination of numerous experiences and moments, which can take time.
Eventually, our brains – either consciously or subconsciously – will connect the dots and we can receive some amazing truth, new perspective or sudden realization.
But serendipity and lightbulb moments require many different inputs over a long period of time.
And it can take a while – but it’s usually worth it.
10. Self Awareness (usually)
I think there are some people who are incredibly self aware early on. And that’s amazing if you’re one of those people.
But over the years, I’ve realized who I used to think I was is constantly changing as I experience new things, develop new interests and live life.
My personal definition of who I am – my self awareness – is constantly evolving and is pretty dynamic.
I’ve had some breakthroughs and I think I know the core themes of me, but some days I still think, “...but do I, really??”.
I think self awareness takes time. It evolves constantly and requires a lot of experience and introspection.
But it’s incredibly helpful and healthy to know yourself.
So this is my last great thing that takes a long time to realize (for now, at least).
Thanks for stopping by today – let me know in the comments of any other examples you’ve got!
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