An interesting detail I came across recently was the earning trajectory of Warren Buffet. While he’s been ingrained in our culture as an incredibly wealthy investor, he made 96% of his money after the age of 60. Over 99% came after the age of 52.

By the age of 30, he was by all means already a success story, but his consistent performance kept compounding until it hit a ridiculous growth curve decades later.

It resonated with me as my wife and I looked over some particularly embarrassing photos from our University days. Laughing, I asked:

“Doesn’t that feel like a lifetime ago?”

I’ve come to appreciate wealth isn’t the only thing that can be patiently accrued over a long period of time with the required discipline and vision. This happens to us as well.

We are quick to dismiss the effects of small, compounded decisions over a long period of time. Even small nudges gradually set ourselves on a drastically different course if we’re willing to keep at it.

I look at my own writing a decade ago, compare it with today and get excited at the thought of where it’ll be twenty years from now with continued learning and practice. The same can be said for my attitude (hopefully getting better, but much of it will always irrevocably be me for better or worse).

It’s hard to have a vision of tomorrow when we’re all just trying to get to the end of the day. However, there’s always an opportunity to grow a little and patiently watch the results unfold.