Harry Potter is a hugely successful franchise. It’s creation made JK Rowling into the first billionaire author and runner up for Time Magazine’s 2007 Person of the Year. The final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was released on July 21, 2007, and sold 11 million copies on the first day of its release, breaking it’s own previous record for the fastest selling book of all time.
photo credit: swruler9284
In short it’s been a publishing phenomenon. And many accounts have told the same story about the penniless single Mother who devised the story on a train journey. But like most glossed over stories some of the details were overlooked. And it is one of those that I would like to point out today.
The truth is that JK Rowling had been writing all of her life. She almost always had a pen and a notebook on her to jot down stories as they popped in to her head. So she had put in the practice to hone her skills and built the neural pathways to be a good writer. But there are many good writers, more than there are jobs.
The difference, that made the difference, for JK Rowling was having a fully developed story that grasped people’s imaginations. The train that she was travelling on was held up for hours. You know how it is when you’re stuck on a train, you’ve looked around at everyone in the carriage. Nobody’s doing anything different and it’s awkward to stare and without moving there’s not really anything stimulating to look at. And when there’s nothing to stimulate us in the outer world, our attention tends to drift to the inner world.
So it’s hardly surprising that a story writer might start to dream up stories. However on this trip Ms Rowling, fortunately didn’t have pen and paper with her and was too shy to ask for one. With no creative outlet to release her ideas, and without any distractions, her creativity gained momentum and the basic idea was fleshed out to include wizarding schools, dual worlds and an epic story of good vs evil.
Would Harry Potter Be Known If JK Rowling Had, Had a Pen With Her?
Creativity needs attention. And not just attention, but sustained, focused attention. To build a creation such as Harry Potter, a solution to world hunger or a solution to a misbehaving child needs time to think through possibilities and to project the likely outcomes of potential choices. if you shortcut that process and jump to an answer too soon, you get a broad outline. In this case a snapshot of a character. If you thoroughly explore that broad outline, you get a complete detailed story.
Yet many people can’t put up with the discomfort and tension that enables your best solution to fully develop. Many people cannot cope with boredom, confusion and uncertainty. And so they distract themselves, they give up too soon and they kill off their Harry Potter before he had a chance to gestate.
Impatience is the shadow side of ambition. It is the drive for progress, the instinctive need for evolving. A thirst for new experiences and tastes. It is what drives us on to achieve, conquer and experience. The hunger for life. Yet when impatience causes us to seek short cuts or seek for easier paths in fulfilling our potential, impatience is a destructive force.
The process of creation, whether that creation be Harry Potter or a new relationship, is cyclical. We feel an absence that we want filled. The rebound effect in relationships is well documented. When people rush to fill the void they feel, they are accepting mediocrity long term in exchange for relieving their discomfort NOW.
photo credit: 
hotogr@phy
Up until the birth of Harry Potter, JK Rowling scratched the itch quickly by putting her ideas on paper as she had them. When she couldn’t and was almost forced to flesh them out, she described an entire magical world so vividly that Universal could create a theme park on the idea.
When you rush into a new relationship to heal your broken heart, you could be missing out on a much more rewarding relationship that can only happen if you take a couple of years to get yourself in the right place to meet your dream lover.
If you rush for the quick fix to your finances, to a career boost or to resolve whatever problem is nagging in the back of your mind, you could be missing out on something that you’d much prefer, but will take time to come about.
Quick Fixes Are Often Temporary Fixes
People often get off track on their lives in search of short cuts. They don’t look at their aptitudes, experiences and interests to consider what gift they could give the world. Instead they look out for the opportunities that will make them.
For example, fairly recently, the UK media was full of stories about how there was a drastic shortage of Plumbers and therefore some were earning £70,000 a year. Seeing an opportunity, thousands of people flooded into courses training to become a Plumber. 26,000 according to this report. The problem is there is only enough work for 1,500 Plumbers a year. So 24,000+ have jumped into what they thought was a shortcut, only to find they have wasted their time and money.
It’s much like starting out on one journey, getting 1/3 of the way there and then deciding to take a different direction. Once, in my first full time job I was working in the centre of London and was driving back to my home on the outskirts. I didn’t know the way back, so was looking for the most likely choice among the signposts. Unfortunately, this happened to be different areas that I knew were closer to my home rather than sequential towns along the route. Two hours later, I realised I was further away than where I started from. Then I realised that I had to pick one target and follow it until I could pick a more accurate destination.
Impatience is most destructive is when people feel that their efforts are wasted without signs of success. True mastery takes 10,000 hours. Yet so many potential Geniuses allow doubt and the fear of mockery to sway them from their path because they only reached 1/10 or 1/3 of their path.
Staying on your path doesn’t mean dropping all your responsibilities and playing guitar all day. It just means finding your path and devoting yourself to it to the extent your circumstances allow.
Love what you do and let your enjoyment and love of the process be the goal and the reward, not the symbols of success. For otherwise, you may find success, but it will not taste as sweet as you dreamed it would.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Rob,
This is so true, “you may find success, but it will not taste as sweet as you dreamed it would.”
I have been working on my dream now for about 5 years. I have never had so much fun and learned so much. I have a lot to give and to share and every day just keep getting closer to accomplishing my goals and dreams. Great article and so very much truth in it. Thanks Rob
Debbie
Hi Rob,
Thanks for sharing this idea. The Harry Potter story puts across your point so well.
We experienced an example of this recently. My daughter had just finished 6th form and had been accepted in the UEA. We persuaded her she should sign-on during her holidays. It would be good experience and she might even get a job. We don’t regret getting her to sign on but almost regretted the consequences. She landed a job in marketing through a jobs agency.
Suddenly she was telling us how university was a waste of time and how she’d be earning £100K a year within five years! Of course we believed that was too good to be true and told her she could do that in her holidays and after Uni if she wanted. But don’t to give up on her dream of going to Uni. Of course we were all wrong.
After her two days training she had her first full day’s work. That’s when reality hit. They had all gone up to Norwich for a day and evening of door-to-door sales – just as we’d suspected. She didn’t get home until past 10:30pm each night. Thankfully she quit after a week! And she’s back on track for going to Uni.
As you say, it’s good to fully think things through before progressing done new avenues. And I think my daughter’s story illustrates it’s potentially easy to get led astray especially when the going gets tough.
Of course the flip side is procrastination.
How can we tell not being impatient turns into procrastination?
Thanks Debbie,
Hi Pat,
Good to hear from you. I’ve been meaning to get in touch.
That was the exact job I did from school and changed my career path from being an Accountant. I stayed at it because it was bringing me out of my shell and teaching me a huge amount about people. It gave me the confidence to start my own business.
Yet in terms of a career path and as a parent I would want the University for my child. So I’m glad that worked out so quickly for your daughter.
Good question.
I think being patient and building up momentum feels different to procrastination. As Debbie said working towards your goal feels exciting. It’s fun. You are still progressing towards your goal, things are developing and unfolding, but not necessarily in a way that is visible to others. Whereas when procrastinating you are avoiding thinking or working on something.
For example, JK Rowling was developing a clearer and more enriched vision of how the story would look and unfold. In the case, of starting a business, you work very hard on it in the early stages, without seeing much results. But later much of the results that you see, are a result of that foundational work.
I love reading your articles Rob. I know this is true and I know that I personally am scared sometimes of really following my dreams because I have doubts and fears. I love to read stories like this one where persistence and determination eventually will bring success in people’s lives and I really hope that one day to be an example for others just like they are. Thank you for sharing your great wisdom with us all.
Thanks Daniela.
It is scary. I think it is because of the fear that an achievement is so inspiring. Every step can be inspiring to someone else about to face a similar challenge.
Don’t forget to come back and share your story with us.
i so thanks for you