Momentum Is Not Magic. Showing up and doing the work is the key to a breakthrough opportunity.
Every now and then you see someone explode onto the scene and the world calls it an overnight success.
It feels like they went from nowhere to everywhere in a blink.
They show up on red carpets, they land on morning shows, they have speaking opportunities, they get quoted in the media, and suddenly everyone acts like the universe just tapped them on the shoulder and said, “Congrats, you made it.”
But I have spent enough time around success, in business, in community work, and in the speaking industry, to know something simple: Most overnight success stories took years.
They just happened to be invisible years.
My Reminder About Overnight Success
The last few years have been a grind for me. Some of that was internal, some of it was market shifts, and some of it was just the reality that careers have seasons. Even for people who look like they have it all figured out. I felt like I had it all, then felt like I lost it all.
But lately, I feel momentum again.
My speaking business is moving in a positive direction, and the Austin Technology Council is gaining traction too. Not because I discovered some secret trick, but because I keep showing up. I keep doing the work. I keep taking meetings, building relationships, creating content, and trying to be useful to our community.
Momentum did not show up because I wanted it. Momentum showed up because I did not quit.
A Pop Culture Example With a Business Lesson
This week, a pop culture moment made that point for me in a big way.
At the Golden Globes, two actors presented who most of the world did not know a couple of months ago. Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams are the stars of Heated Rivalry, a six episode series about two hockey players who fall in love.
It started as a low budget Canadian production, then HBO Max picked it up, and it quickly became the most watched non-animated show the platform has ever acquired since launching in 2020. Online, episode five briefly hit a perfect 10 out of 10 on IMDb, tying Breaking Bad’s “Ozymandias,” and that is when the comparisons started flying.
No matter how you feel about the topic of two hockey rivals falling in love (and don’t go being homophobic in 2026, come on), you cannot deny the reality of what happened. The show became an international phenomenon and one of the most watched TV series in many years. All on a low budget with two unknown lead actors who 10 months earlier were working as waiters in restaurants.
When people see exceptional talent, and when the storytelling is done well, the audience responds.
And the internet does what the internet does.
It turns a good thing into a phenomenon.
The Part People Miss
Here is what I keep thinking about.
From the outside, it looks like Connor and Hudson appeared out of thin air.
But they did not.
Yes, they are young, but both have worked at their craft for over a decade. They were working. Auditioning. Practicing. Taking whatever roles they could get. Doing student films. Grinding. Saying yes to the small chances.
Then, when the right project came along, they were ready.
That is the piece people skip.
We love the highlight reel, but we ignore the years of work that made the highlight reel possible.
Overnight success is usually a moment of visibility stacked on top of a foundation of work ethic.
What This Means For Your Career
If you are in a season where it feels like nothing is happening, you are not alone.
If you are doing the work and you are not seeing results yet, that does not mean the work is wasted.
It means you are building the foundation.
And foundations are boring (like Hudson’s character, Shane Hollander. Give that boy a Ginger Ale).
Nobody celebrates you for pouring concrete.
But everyone wants to live in the house.
The lesson is not that everyone gets discovered. The lesson is that when opportunity shows up, it tends to choose the people who stayed in motion.
So, what do you do?
Five Things To Remember When You Want Momentum
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Keep showing up when nobody is clapping.
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Do the work that makes you undeniable.
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Take the “small” opportunities seriously, they are often the big ones in disguise.
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Build relationships, be easy to work with, protect your reputation.
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When the wave comes, ride it with humility, gratitude, and relentless execution.
My Challenge For The Readers of This Post
Pick one thing you can do this week that proves you are still in the game.
Send the outreach.
Make the call.
Write the article.
Post the video.
Go to the event.
Do the work.
If you want momentum, you do not wait for a sign. Overnight success does not happen by accident. It won’t always happen, but if it does it comes to those who are prepared.
You become the person who is ready when the sign finally shows up.
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Thom Singer, CSP, is a professional keynote speaker and the CEO at the Austin Technology Council.