Some developments in life just happen. They occur without us knowing beforehand that we even wanted them. They seem to pop up without us asking for them. Then there are developments that we first have in mind and need a roadmap to reach. And then there is a combination of the two. Something triggers an idea or vision which leads to developing a plan for a particular achievement or goal.
Patience is not passive, on the contrary, it is concentrated strength.
~ Bruce Lee
I don’t know about you, but when I feel myself burning for a goal, I want to achieve it sooner rather than later, yesterday rather than today. Unfortunately, impatience can be quite persistent. So strong, in fact, that it makes the journey a challenge. Getting there can become its own obstacle to reaching the goal. But actually, the journey is what co-creates the goal in its perfection. In the process, we only see how the image of the goal changes, expands, and sometimes it is even exchanged for a new goal. An author knows what I am talking about. A book is based on a first idea. Nevertheless, the story can still change in the course, perhaps even changes completely. That’s what happened to me with “I’m Free”. I had first wanted to write a book to fight fears. Over time, however, I realized that this was the wrong approach. I had to write something that dealt with liberation, not with fighting. I was frustrated because that meant deleting more than half of what I had already written and starting almost from scratch. I did it anyway because, in this case, compromise would be counterproductive.
However, an aspired goal can only be the beginning of the actual journey. When I look back on the many achievements in my life, I also remember the first visions about them. In retrospect, all those first visions were only the starting point for where I was led in the long run. Once a path is chosen and the first step is taken, the story takes on a dynamic of its own. You follow it and help shape it, or you drop out.
You will get there. Until then, be here. The moment matters.
~ Gregg Braden
Impatience can therefore stall the entire process. It can cause us to blindly apply pressure at a point that leads to a dead end. It can make us despair and question the whole project. It can even cause us to stumble and destroy a seemingly fantastic plan. So, while, in the background, conditions are naturally evolving, impatience causes us to ignore this process and thus potentially disrupt it. Impatience can cause us to give up too quickly. Success is not something that comes overnight. It can occur overnight, but only if hard work, perseverance, faith in the vision, an open mind for opportunities, and an unquestioning determination were applied beforehand.
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
~Lao Tzu
Patience is not the same as indifference to whether and how things develop. It means trusting and believing in the vision, looking for doors and opportunities that open up, and seizing them – no matter how uncomfortable they may seem. There is nothing wrong with your vision. Today, we have small pocket computers that you can even use to make phone calls. At one point, none of that existed. But there were visions upon visions upon visions, and over time, everything has evolved.
Rome was not built in a day – but it was built!
In Love and Light
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Great food for thought, Erika. I never thought of patience being an active state rather than passive.
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I think only when I thought about impatience, I discovered the enormous power of patience.
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Power in Patience! That should be on a t-shirt. 🙂
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And that sounds cool! Would you allow me to quote you with “Power in Patence”?
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Patience isn’t always easy to come by but it is doable. We learn and develop..A great lesson for today. Have a good week, Erika 🌞
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A very important lesson. And there is the other side of patience that can switch into inactivity which is as blocking as impatience. That would make a follow-up post… hehe.
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I see a follow up post already 😁 and that was a nice follow up comment 👍
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Awesome 😂
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😜😂
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Well said Erika. I note your comment that impatience is not indifference, which is of course quite correct. Impatience can however breed indifference and, in the context of your “project” examples, impatience could lead to taking short-cuts to get the project finished ….. and the disappointing end result could well breed indifference to future projects..
While I try and avoid terms like “success” (and “failure”) because both are very subjective, a low self-esteem can often be traced back to a childhood in which child-like curiousity was not encouraged; where the benefits of a formal education were not stressed. In general terms, the child had little insight into its own potential. The end result so often comes out later in life as impatience as they see what others can do, and try to mimic that behavior.
We are being exposed to impatience every day here, as a result of the COVID restrictions. I can only conclude that such impatience is created from a combination of frustration (based on not understanding COVID, and the measures in place to minimize its impact), and the total disruption to their life habits. The impatience we see here has also reached the point where some individuals are making demands for themselves, at the expense of others. i.e. it is turning into a very self-focused display of impatience which, as in your examples, will almost certainly result in dissatisfaction with the end result.
Again … a great thought provoking post Erika. Take care. Stay safe.
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You stroke a chord with your second paragraph. Indeed, impatience can be developed when a child is not allowed to explore and check out itself and the wolrd. It can also be a diffuse fear of falling short. I like your additional point that impatience has something of selfishness. Absolutely, And here the origin can also lie in childhood, in which one was not taken seriously enough or even stressed that the faster and better is also the more valuable.
Thank you for adding more thought-provoking thoughts, Colin.
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Erika, well done. I also love Bruce Lee’s quote. The toughest opponent is not the one who beats on his chest and tells you how great he is. It is the one with quiet resolve biding his time. Keith
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I loved the power in that quote. Patience can generate such a solid ground of serenity and clarity. Yes, true, waiting for his time but not because he lets things just happen but because he is waiting for his chance and then grabs it instantly. Thank you, Keith. In case, they are your own, would you let me quote your words: “The toughest opponent is not the one who beats on his chest and tells you how great he is. It is the one with quiet resolve biding his time.”
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Well put, Sis 💜
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Thank you, Sis 💖
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such good reminders that we all need at times
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I think for most of us, it strikes a chord… over and over again. Thank you, Beth!
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Well spoken Erika, patience is most certainly a virtue, a very beautiful…slow…one. I can ask many people of their journey and it is the elder who sit back, be much more patient, simply because they have learned its wisdom. I think I was young once, wanting everything yesterday and never understanding why the world was out to get me when everything kept falling apart. But, thankfully, that wisdom thing slowly knocked on my door and I began to ‘virtue’ from another place within. Maybe that ‘thing’ is actually love, showing us its beauty in stopping and appreciating all around us. And something I teach to many…don’t greet someone with a two second hug (that only shows our impatience), stop in that hug, relax into that hug and show you and them you are here, now, for you both…not the off handed part of you that focus’s everywhere but now, barely registering that connection. A great post dear lady, something for us to strive for, a little differently 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋
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I believe that with growing age patience settles more and more. Although, when looking back at my mother-in-law also older people may still have difficulties with it. However, as you said, it can be trained by consciously deciding to being in that very moment, enjoying and appreciating that very moment as it is. Awesome, thank you very much for your comment, Mark!
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This is an interesting “spin-off” dialogue because while us seniors (I am 75) can be very laid back as a result of life experiences, we can also be impatient. Things that trigger my impatience are “things” that seem to change for the sake of change i.e. We’ll change it because we can! Computer technology!!!! I also get impatient when confronted with issues that keep getting resolved, and yet keep getting repeated i.e. Have we not learned anything over the past few decades? I get impatient when I am listening to pointless rhetoric i.e. politicians trying to weave around a direct question.
So yes, us seniors can be more patient as a result of our life experiences, but don’t be surprised if one of us suddenly shows clear signals of impatience! 🙂
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I am in my early 50s but can relate to what you explained here. I can be very patient with the character of people up to a certain point. But I can be impatient when someone doesn’t get me or a task I try to explain … lol
I think it always depends and that is independent of the age… hehe.
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For colinandray, yes you are right, there is still plenty of impatience in us all. Like love it always has plenty to teach…and yes, being a grand old 62 I too fail often with patience in all you have said…and especially when the chocolate is calling me from its container 🤣 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋
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Beautifully put, Erika. How we sabotage when we get impatient! ❤
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Oh, yes, we can do great in blocking our own road. Thank you, Jane 💖
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I’am very touched by your post about patience, Erika,which seems to be a little bit a topic of past times!!
Many thanks:)
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I am pretty sure that a lot here can relate to what you said, Martina. The lesson of becoming patient can be a life-long one and the exams will come in different outifts…
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Absolutely, Erika:)
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Gee Sis, you are always hitting the nail on the head!
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You know, talking from experience… lol. I am a master in standing in my own way!
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