Good things may come to those who wait, but only what is left by those who hustle.

This post is not written specifically for entrepreneurs, although it may seem so. This post is written for anyone looking to live a life of action rather than re-action.

At your next college reunion, there will be a wild mix of personalities and egos. But like most social events of this caliber and with this much time between them, it will be clear who is winning. Winning in business, creating their own success, and building their own momentum.

If you think about it, everyone is accelerating their lives at the standard rate - as fast as live gives them what they want. This includes a paycheck at the end of the month, a bonus a few times a year, and vacation time. For the most part, others dictate the progress of these. Of course you need to provide quality work to deserve a raise, but your boss is the final decision maker.

Tim Ferriss doesn't know or follow the standard rate, and he hasn't for years. Long ago he recognized the broken system of working for others, and has since worked to create his own momentum that promotes action. In his book, The 4-Hour Work Week, he describes tips and tricks to outsource everything and dream while you're awake. His salary is driven by his own success, not by his boss. Because he doesn't have one.

So how did Ferriss and others like him build momentum? Through their own systems and processes, whether formal or not, they learned a few things about themselves that helped them to focus and find their direction.

Discover what motivates you

I have seen three overarching answers to this - money, fame and making a difference. Do you want to be a millionaire? Do you want your company to be bought by Facebook? Look at what you spend most of your time doing, and why you are doing it. It's hard to set and accomplish goals if you don't have your priorities aligned correctly.

Learn to ignore the noise

Noise surrounds us. Whether its a dog barking or a headline in the newspaper, there are literally quadrillions of things in this world to take your attention from your goals. Last night I argued with this myself. I asked "Do I want this side project to succeed?" Yes was the natural answer. Until Game of Thrones came on, then I questioned my answer. Clearly I'm still learning to ignore the noise.

Build your confidence

Take consistent action, start getting consistent results and grow from those results. Who do you think has more confidence, Alex Parker, an 18-year-old entrepreneur or the staff accountant at Ernst & Young? Who do you think has failed more? Confidence is not derived from finding success. It is derived from failing and not slowing but growing from it. [click to tweet]

Recognize that it will never end

Every day, entrepreneurs are finding success. But no matter how many, there will still be millions who do not take initiative, who are fine moving at the standard rate, and are okay with seeing others win. Not everyone is cut out to be a Tim Ferriss or an Alex Parker.

Remember:Good things may come to those who wait, but only what is left by those who hustle. [click to tweet]

Also, if you would like to read my regular posts then please click 'Follow' at the top of this article and feel free to connect via Twitter

=============================================================
ABOUT ZACHARY

As an entrepreneurial marketer and growth hacker, I have the chance to learn about the best and worst ways to stay optimistic from all sorts of experts but I’m also a recent college grad living in the Midwest with a busy schedule, active social life, and the occasional craft beer craving.

I’m here to share what works for me—and where I need a little help from you. I also contribute toViralGrowthandAnalytics.com and help business driven professionals automate social media marketing.

Enjoy my work? Comment below and I'll connect with you to further the conversation.

Follow Zach on LinkedIn and on Twitter: @ZachOnLinkedIn