Success is usually perceived as a glamorous, adventure-filled road of glory. Whether the latest sports figure, the high-end CEO, the famous actor, or the thriving entrepreneur living her dream, success is everywhere. And because success is everywhere, it’s easier than ever to forget that most overnight successes are 20 years in the making…or longer. But we don’t see that. We see the beauty of success but forget the boredom of success.

What most people forget is that riveting success is preceded by routine boredom. In other words, before success ever shows up, there are days, weeks, months, even years of disciplined, step-by-step, methodical, vanilla, bland routines. These “boring” routines are the seeds of success. Without them success isn’t even possible. And regardless of your profession, every dream has its boring routines.

[bctt tweet=”Most people forget that riveting success is preceded by routine boredom.”]

Golfers spend hours everyday on the golf course…when the cameras aren’t rolling. Musicians spend countless hours practicing…before a single concert ticket is ever sold. CEO’s spend untold hours in long meetings making tough decisions…before the bottom line ever shows a profit. And authors agonize over every chapter and go through endless rounds of edits…before a single copy of their book hits the shelves.

That’s the boredom of success. But it’s worth it. It makes the success sweeter, much more appreciated, and helps us develop the character necessary to sustain success. And the moment we ignore the boredom of success, we undermine the future of success. Boredom is part of the journey.

[bctt tweet=”The moment we ignore the boredom of success, we undermine the future of success.”]

Sometimes boredom truly is boring. But most times boredom is nothing more than the perseverance side of the journey. It’s the price tag. It’s the blood, sweat, and tears. Jesus called it, “faithfulness in the small things.” Without it, you can never experience, “ruler over much.” So the next time you see success standing in the limelight, take a moment and put things in perspective. A long, hard, road of day-by-day disciplined routines preceded that victory. That’s the boredom of success.

Questions: What are the boring routines necessary to experience success in your life? Are you embracing them? Have you given up? What do you need to do to get back on track?