Seth Godin writes that the secret of success on the web is patience. I agree with HMK that this is true for just about everything. Persist at the stuff that matters and you will succeed. Seth makes a good point about the difference between tactics and strategy. Having a strategy and sticking to it will allow you to be successful when some of your tactics fail — and to notice that when your tactics are successful, you still haven’t won.

I usually think of the key to success as being passionate about your goal, rather than patient in achieving it. Perhaps you need both… or one is born of the other. I sometimes joke that a bit of obsessive compulsive behavior is an element of excellence. Most artists will focus on a theme and repeat it over and over — whether it is a style of painting or a subject. Iterating on a theme or patiently moving toward your goal is not only about steadily making wins in the market, it is about becoming the best at what you do through practice and experience.