Time and Pressure

There is a wonderful line in "Shawshank Redemption" describing how the main character, Andy Dufresne, escaped Shawshank prison. Morgan Freeman's character gives us this gem that has stuck with me over the years: 

"Oh, Andy loved geology. I imagine it appealed to his meticulous nature. An ice age here, million years of mountain building there. Geology is the study of pressure and time. That's all it takes, really. Pressure, and time. That and a big damn poster."

The reference is to Andy's escape. But the phrase "time and pressure" always stuck with me. I've long since used it as a symbol of what it takes to be successful. I tend to apply it in broad strokes to marriage, business, parenting, and life. It seems few people lack the fortitude necessary to do the right thing over a long period of time. We are hopeful that our decisions will have an immediate impact. We say "I love you" to our spouse and then lie in wait, hoping they will unfold. We make a slick video for our website and hope that it brings in droves of new purchasers and customers. We read a blog about the benefits of healthy dieting and we spend 30 days eating "whole foods" all the while dreaming of the euphoric 31st day when we can eat all the "bad foods" that we find so comforting. 

These aren't bad things. Changing your diet is often inspired and healthy. Making a new video can be useful. And telling your significant other you love them is obviously a good thing. But I think most of us look to these behavioral changes as a sort of rescue and when they don't deliver the promised outcome, we simply switch to a new one. This is why fad diets continue to earn millions, get rich quick schemed con thousands out of time and money, and marriages fail some made up percentage of the time. 

What's the real solution? Pressure and time. That's all it really takes. Doing the right thing over a long period of time. Working hard over a series of years at whatever it is you are considering and valuing. A marriage is not built in 2 years of dating or 6 months of engagement, as Rome was not built in a day. A successful business is not built in a yearlong flurry. And a healthy body and mind are not built in a month. There are exceptions to these rules, but by and large, most of us will find more joy in the lifetime grind. Pressure and time...and a big damn poster (posters for sale on my website).