At the beginning of the year, I decided that I wanted to pick a "motto for the year". A phrase or goal to carry with me all year long that I wanted to work on improving.
A few ideas popped into my head at first...
I told myself things like: be more athletic, wake up earlier, structure my routine, improve overall health, build vast amounts of wealth and savings, positivity, be more social....
And then I realized something... These are things I have created priorities towards already.. Not that they still aren’t Important but what might be really beneficial towards my growth would be to pick something that wouldn't just pop into my head right away.
Basically, what I'm saying is, I should find something I’m uncomfortable understanding and practice that. Not make my yearly goal something I already have been doing.
So I started thinking harder...
What am I not great at?
What are some concepts I know I need more of, but that I am uncomfortable admitting to?
One word immediately popped into my head.
"Patience"
I began thinking to myself...
"Who is actually good at being patient? What does it even mean to be patient? How have I been awful at being patient? How does being patient actually help? What does patience even mean?"
It became clear to me that making my yearly motto "patience" might not be such a bad idea after all... I clearly needed to work on it.
So...
Patience. My yearly motto has become patience.
Wanna dig into it with me? Give me some of your patience and Ill try to make it worth your time. ;)
The thing about patience is that it goes against my own being. I want to get things done quickly and relax.
Can you relate to this?
I want to see immediate reward for my work. I want to feel validation from others that I am doing well. I want to feel successful. I want to sleep well at the end of the night knowing I accomplished my missions and goals.
I tend to fall into this trap where I start doing something good, but then I get frustrated with it and begin doubting where it is taking me. I can't see around the corner. I might hit a barrier or create a false assumption in my head about what I am even doing. I can easily lose faith that I know what I am doing.
Patience is scary. It is uncomfortable. But by not having it, I have began to see that my life can a bit chaotic...
Think about this with me for a moment.
Have you ever started something {a job, a new relationship, new social group, new hobby, putting money aside for something big, a completely new life)..... and once you begin that new thing, you get frustrated?
What do you do when you get frustrated with it?
By "frustrated" I mean feelings such as: tired, unsure, angry, sad, let down, lost, embarrassed, uncertain, alone...
You have two options when you are feeling these ways...
1) You can give up and try something different...
Or
2) You can keep going and "trust the process" it takes to get there.
I'll be the first to admit that most of my life I have had the tendency to get nervous, feel lost, uncertain and turn around to go back to my comfort zone and begin again.
Can you relate to this?
Ill share an experience with you...
Last November, a friend and I were kayaking down in Cape Coral, Florida. We were paddling down through the estuary of the Caloosahatchee (don't ask - I also have no clue how to pronounce this) River. Further down, we were approaching the San Carlos Bay, which is basically one step away from the Gulf of Mexico on the other side of Sanibel Island.
Up ahead of us, the coast line (which was covered in a dense forest brush) banked to the left, out of view. I really wanted to see what was up around the bend. I had hopes of finding a sandy beach to kayak up to, get out on, and enjoy some time in the sun.
The waves, however, were becoming more intense as we continued towards the Bay. There was no way to tell if going further was going to be dangerous or not. The safer bet was to turn back while things were ok. I looked over at my friend and said "We should probably turn around..." But then it hit me...
I was ok. The kayak was fine. I was getting into my own head, thinking the worst that could happen...
Looking around and re-evaluating the situation, I saw that there were plenty of other boats around us. If something happened, we had our life vests and we would have had plenty of help from someone if the worse case scenario were to happen.
All I had to do was go a bit further...
Plus, we had already paddled our way all the way there, which took us over 2 hrs to get to this point. We were not going to paddle out here again on our trip. Why would I turn back now? After all, this could be the only chance to finding a beautiful sandy beach. This was an adventure. I didn't want to quit now.
I regrouped in my head. Took a deep breath. And paddled on.
And around the corner - sure enough - With a little faith, courage and patience...
There was the sandy beach.
This moment has stuck with me. When it comes to being patient, I don't always see the reward when I am going after something. And I will admit, I tend to want to give up having hope. I think it's a natural tendency to want to quit when something gets hard.
But what I have come to learn is this...
That moment when you feel like you can't possibly go any further... THATS the moment to look for. That moment is the point you've been working towards! That is the bend, the corner, the uncertainty before knowing... That is the test of courage. That is the moment telling you this... "Im about to grow."
Growing pains, if you will.
This is the moment before you reach the destination you've been dreaming about.
In some cases... This is the discomfort you feel before your life changes.
And when you think you can't, shouldn't, wouldn't, couldn't keep going forward...
That's the moment.
Thats the moment where you "just keep swimming"... Right Dory?
Thats the point where you're about to change your life and reach the goal you've been working towards.
Don't let the fear of the unknown stop you after all of the energy and momentum you've committed towards pursuing your dreams.
I wish you all a fantastic week.
No matter what, when it gets difficult, just remember this...
Be Patient. Be Kind. Be Humble.
Keep Going.
God Bless
-Dan
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