Tuesday was my 36th birthday. As I reflected on another life lived and another yet to come, I was thinking about career achievements. There are so many pressures to achieve and to achieve quickly. So much is said about young entrepreneurs and their startup success. So many of us feel like we must accomplish something by certain age milestones which include 30 and 40. If you look around, you can find all types of lists of achievers under 40 or rising stars under 30. While it is nice to celebrate those that have worked towards success at a young age, it begins to create an underlying current that if your career is not noteworthy by one of these milestones then somehow you are not successful. The dreaded comparison with limited information!

As I looked at my career achievements during the 13 years I have been working full time, I thought about what I might achieve in the remaining 30 or more likely 35 years. Traditional thinking says 65 is the likely end of a career. Social Security will be telling my generation that it must work longer (assuming it’s still around that long). Modern Medicine and by that time Future Medicine can extend our longevity and productive years, putting more good years in our careers.

What’s the rush? Why have I endured these same pressures and thoughts of failure without significant achievement within a narrow time frame? Because I’ve only been young and we all get wiser as we age. I want to make a difference in the world in which I live. I believe making that difference is a cumulative, progressive process that when started early leads to greater impact. I see and read some of the same things you do that glorify noteworthy early success. I cannot help but have comparative thoughts. Lastly, I believe my abilities are sufficient to make a significant impact.

But seriously, what’s the rush? Thinking about the long-term career still ahead of me is a great reminder that there is still plenty of time, especially true when I think about my capabilities. I believe that my skills are getting better. I am a better leader than I was five years ago. I will be a better leader in another five years. I am a better executive, businessman, have a better network and will see all these things continue to improve in the next five years and the five after that and so on. Not only is there sufficient time, my work performance will be even better, magnifying the impact over many years, creating a more virtuous cycle of achievement.

Where are you at in this moment? Feeling the rush to accomplish now or working the long game knowing the best way to grow accomplishment by multiplying over time?