The True Overnight Success

There are very few, if any, overnight successes. In most instances, success is achieved through hard work over a period of time.

I was reminded of this recently from an unusual source. I went to see John Mayer at Madison Square Garden. Opening up for Mayer was Michael Franti and his band Spearhead. Franti's music is a unique blend of rock, reggae and hip hop. He's been playing his music with his band for more than15 years, experiencing long bus rides, no home cooking and sleeping in various hotel rooms for long stretches.

All that hard work paid off recently for these road warriors when surprisingly they had a song reach the Billboard top 100 for the first time in their music careers. The song "Say Hey (I Love You)" from their recent album "All Rebel Rockers" actually peaked at 6 on the Billboard chart. Although the song didn't reach number 1, it was inspiring to hear Franti introduce his hit and proudly explain its significance.

When you're frustrated about your business, or feeling like your efforts are not bearing fruit, think of Franti and his band. Hopefully, Franti's persistence and "overnight" success will inspire you to press on, and hopefully you can beam with pride even if your success doesn't place you on the very top of the list.