It’s important that we stop trying to get immediate results for everything we do in life. There are some things that will come quickly, but there are many times when we need to recognize there are many things that will take time before they come to fruition.
Most Things Worthwhile Take Time.
Unfortunately, most of us have forgotten the truth of that statement. We are the society of; give it to me now!
Everything is coming at us at lightning speed. The world has changed drastically over the course of the past 20 years. We have self-driving cars! They may still be in their infancy but…it’s become a reality. We have people flying around on hoverboards!
With all the changes we’ve experienced and the internet at our fingertips, it’s no wonder we want what we want right this instant.
Think about this though, when was the last time something you really desired came into being or to fruition immediately? I’m not talking about something you can purchase or create using technology.
I’m talking about skills, or changing who you are as an individual.
Whether that means dealing with any mental health issues you may be experiencing or going after something great like starting a band, acting, starting and growing a business, getting your degree, learning martial arts, playing an instrument, creating a new app that will change the world, growing a non-profit, working with at-risk youth, losing weight or gaining muscle, becoming a person of influence, either online or in your community.
Any of these pursuits, plus a whole myriad of others, require time, focus, attention, and consistency to get to a level that invites some form of success.
Do You Lack Patience?
The truth of the matter is, that most of us lack patience as a result of our society’s “Quick Fix” mentality. Or the “Get rich quick” or the “I want my food right now” mentalities.
Everything is instantaneous for us these days. I can order from Amazon and have the item the same day or the next day.
I can order my groceries and have them delivered the same day or the next day.
There are so many things we can do in our society that allow us to fall into the trap of thinking everything should happen immediately.
Social media gives us the ability to see what everyone is doing ALL of the time.
If I text or message someone on an app, I can know as soon as they’ve read my message and can see when they are responding.
As I said at the beginning of this article, anything worthwhile takes time. But if we lack the patience necessary to see our desires come to fruition, then we will be like the farmer who plants a seed, waters it, and then digs it up the next day to see if it’s growing.
Harvesting the Crop Requires Patience as You Continually Work to Nurture Whatever it Is You’re Planting.
Here are some powerful quotes on the topic:
“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”
Leo Tolstoy
“To lose patience is to lose the battle.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”
Lao Tzu
“Patience attracts happiness; it brings near that which is far.”
Swahili Proverb
“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.”
Arnold H. Glasow
“Results happen over time, not overnight. Work hard, stay consistent, and be patient.”
Germany Keny
Our issue is we want it all right NOW. We want everything right now. We can barely wait for the short amount of time it takes to get our Amazon purchase.
We go crazy in the drive-through when it takes an extra five minutes more than what we’re used to.
We lose our minds over the amount of red lights that halt our forward progress while driving.
There are so many opportunities in our society that allow us to forget about patience and what it means to wait. What it means to go through the crucible of time.
I mean standing in long lines is the worst! Am I right or am I right?! But what about when it comes to the things that really matter?
Are we so conditioned to get things now that we can’t wait as long as needed to see our desires come to pass?
Patience doesn’t mean we just sit back and relax. Sometimes that’s needed, but going back to the example of the farmer, if the seeds planted don’t get water, there will be no harvest.
If the weeds aren’t tended to and they choke out the seedlings, there is no harvest. If birds or other animals eat the seeds, there is no harvest.
If the harvest comes in, but the farmer has given up and doesn’t harvest because it’s too much work, there is no harvest!
Instead of looking at life with a mindset of needing to see immediate results.
We Need to Start Learning How to Play the Long Game.
It is necessary to start immediately, but you start with the notion that you are in it for the long game. However long it takes to see this desire come to fruition.
Because, again, all great things in life take time. If you’re baking muffins, you have to allow them to bake the allotted time, otherwise, if you pull them out too soon, you’ll be eating gooey muffins.
Many times in life, that’s what we settle for…gooey muffins
We are Living the Gooey Muffin Life.
IF we can learn to play the long game. IF we can become comfortable sitting in silence between the time we plant the seed and harvest. Then the benefit of not trying to get immediate results on these big, life-changing scenarios, is that we actually get to realize the dream.
Maybe you don’t realize the full dream. That’s okay! Because you’ve taught yourself how to play the long game and you’ve seen growth and improvements. And you can continue to move forward chasing that dream or even pivot to something else.
Learning to endure the crucible of time can take us from point A to point B in whatever it is we’re trying to do. And if we stick with it, then most likely, we’ll see our goals come to fruition.
I referenced an idea by Simon Sinek in a previous article titled “Who Do You Want to Become”, where he talks about working out and when you begin to see results. It’s never, ever immediate.
There is no formula to say, that once you start working out, on this day, you will see results. Because everybody’s body is different.
Just as our bodies are different, our life experiences are different. So, while you’re on this journey, don’t compare yourself to others.
Stay in Your Lane and Work to Make Continual Progress.
Allow yourself the grace to be patient.
DO NOT allow yourself to talk yourself out of playing the long game. This can be very difficult. You feel like you need a miracle NOW. You feel like you need a change NOW.
Instead of working on staying consistent and focusing on the task at hand, you might give up because you feel like it takes too long.
The work it takes to achieve what you want is too hard or it’s too difficult.
People don’t believe in you and you can feel embarrassed when years later it seems like you’re still in the same place you were when you started.
You feel like a failure because nothing seems to be happening, so you quit.
You don’t know anyone else who’s done it, so maybe it isn’t possible, and you quit.
Don’t Quit!
Steve Jobs started Apple Computer with his co-founder, Steve Wozniak, on April 1, 1976!
The first iPod was released on October 23, 2001. The original Macbook was released on May 27, 2006. The first iPhone was released on June 29, 2007.
Up until the early 2000s, many people didn’t know what a Macintosh was, even though it was first released on January 24, 1984. It was a strange-looking box that morphed into an even stranger-looking box, which eventually morphed into what we now know as the iMac, which was first released on August 15, 1998.
Howard Schultz bought Starbucks in March 1987. I didn’t know what Starbucks was until the early 2000s…why? Because we didn’t have any until then.
Now, you can’t turn around without seeing one somewhere.
These are two, massive corporations. Apple has a market cap of 2.96 Trillion as of January 2024. Starbucks has a market cap of 106 Billion as of January 2024.
This didn’t happen overnight.
All your favorite actors and directors, bands, singers, and songwriters, didn’t get to where they are overnight.
In each one of these instances, it has taken years of hard work and dedication for these people to live the dreams they imagined.
In my personal experience, I started working on overcoming depression and anxiety around the age of 30.
By age 38 I was on the home stretch. By 39 I would say I was finally free.
Do you think it was fun the whole time? Do you think life was any different in those first few years?
It seemed like nothing was changing. It seemed like I was going to be this way for the rest of my life. Stuck in a miserable hell that I didn’t know how to get out of.
The only thing keeping me locked down on this planet during that time was my baby girl. I wasn’t suicidal during those years but the thought of going through the rest of my life feeling the way I felt conjured up so much dread within me. It made me question how I could endure until I died of old age.
I worried that I wouldn’t get better and that I’d be the headline of one of those stories where a family comes home to find their husband and father dead on the bathroom floor. I had to find a way out!
So, I kept working. I’d read more books. I’d see more influential people opening up about their struggles, or providing constant encouragement in the idea that you can do whatever you set your mind to.
Henry Ford probably said it best when he said,
“If you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.”
Henry Ford
When it comes down to it, the reason why is because it’s all in our heads.
All of it is in our heads.
Every Problem you Have is in Your Head!
Why? How can I say that?
Because other people are dealing with the exact same issue but they don’t see it as a problem, they see it as an opportunity.
They see it as a way to grow and get better.
Sure it might be difficult, they might have momentary bouts of complaining, but then they reorient themselves to look at what they’re facing differently. They start to see what the future will be like once they climb this mountain.
On the flip side, they may have problems they’re dealing with that you wouldn’t consider a problem. It’s all in how we perceive the situations we’re going through.
So, it comes down to this question, how can we begin to live life playing the long game and remove the immediate results mentality from our minds?
Here are some ways to get past this I need it right now mentality:
- Adopt the idea of playing the long game
- Take whatever it is you want to change in your life, and apply the long-game mentality to it.
- Are you okay if it takes you 6 more months? What about another year? What about 2 years? 3, 4, 5 years? Can you put yourself in a place to endure the crucible of time until you see success in whatever it is you’re attempting to do?
- Start feeling what it will be like to have accomplished this goal
- Don’t just think about what it will be like
- Feel the excitement of what it will be like, the sigh of relief that you did what you set out to do.
- Stay consistent
- If you are starting a business, keep working on it
- Learning an instrument, keep playing
- To become a top expert in your field, keep studying
- Overcoming mental health issues, keep fighting! Fight so hard, every day. I know it can get tiring and you’ll want to give up. Some days you will give up, but come back again ready to fight another day. Keep learning and keep striving to find the freedom you’re looking for. If I can overcome 20+ years of depression, suicidal thoughts, and close attempts, then you can overcome too.
Whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish in life, remember to keep moving forward.
Give Yourself the Grace to Fail
And when you do fail, get back up and try again.
It can be tiring, yes. It can drain your energy, make you feel worthless or hopeless or whatever you may be feeling. But each time you get up, you become stronger.
Keep fighting. Stay persistent. I’ll see you on the other side.
If you’re struggling with mental health issues and feel like you may harm yourself or someone else, please talk to someone.
Find a way to see a therapist. Talk to a close friend and open up about how you’re feeling. Call a suicide prevention hotline if you need to. You can find the numbers on Google.
Above all, don’t think you’re going through this struggle alone. There are millions of people around the world dealing with issues just like the one you’re going through. I was one of those people, so keep coming back, read my content, and encourage yourself to continue fighting another day.
Know that you are loved. You are worthy of love.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope it brings value to your life.
Much love to you all,
Josiah
