“Speed is about time, but it’s also closely related to endurance and effort. The faster the speed, the thinking goes, the less endurance or effort required. Patience, on the other hand, requires endurance and effort.”- Taken from Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, by Lori Gottlieb
Later, in the same book (about a page later), she quotes the psychoanalyst Erich Fromm: “Modern man thinks he loses something-time- when he does not do things quickly; yet he does not know what to do with the time he gains except kill it.”
Our world is filled with a lot of hurry, hurry, now, now.
We want results/things/growth/success/our haircut/our food/our dose of dopamine (social media, I’m looking at you)/our purchases/our everything as soon as we give even the thoughts our energy.
Patience is not modern human’s virtue.
The conundrum is that the time spent waiting, the time spent in patience, the time spent just BE-ing bears more fruit for the soul than the actual “getting.”
Spend some time in a cam state today. Revel in the patience, it will bring much better dividends than the pressure-filled moments do.
The achilles heel of almost every single individual. I can’t tell you how many times (because I haven’t actually counted, that would be kind of weird, but I know it is a lot) I’ve heard highly successful people/athletes state that they are their “own worst critic.” They are harder on themselves than any coach, boss or outsider could ever be. No problem there, because they use that criticism in a CONSTRUCTIVE manner. They use it as fuel to improve, to work harder and to grow. Too often, the average Joe/average Josephine are their own worst critics, but they use it not as a propellant to improve, but rather as a big truck full of cement to keep them right where they are.
Self doubt is rooted in fear. We are afraid to branch out in case we fail. But I honestly believe it isn’t the fear of failure that stops us, it’s the fear that someone (or multiple people) will see or know that we tried and failed. As I have stated before, we crave social connection and in fact need it for our very survival. Subconsciously, if we feel that could be jeopardized by a failure, we keep the opportunities to branch out closer to the trunk/on a short leash. There are two things very wrong with this thinking. 1) Most people don’t care what you are going to try and succeed or fail at. They are too busy living their own lives and worrying about what you will think of them. 2) The world needs what you haven’t figured you are amazing at doing yet.
Your untapped potential could be helping a lot of us (myself included) live our lives better. We are all connected on some level and your success will only aid mine. There is not a finite amount of happiness or talent or anything else ethereal, to go around. When you branch out and attempt new things (that you may be awesome at), you aren’t stealing them away from anyone else. And, let’s say you do attempt something new, and fail miserably. You fall flat on your face, creating a pancake where your nose used to be. There may be a couple of people who snicker a bit. There will be a few people who point out your shortcomings, and may be downright butt-holes about your failure, but the vast majority will come to your aid and help you prepare and execute your next attempt. The will to help and the power of positive connection will drown out any of the negative chatter one-hundred-fold.
In order to move into the next decade/century/millenium/day/week, we need YOUR innovation. We need YOUR intelligence. We need YOUR desire to improve. We need YOUR attempts, YOUR failures, and ultimately YOUR vast amount of successes. So doubt yourself all you want, but catch those doubts and see how you can use them to propel you forward, for the benefit of all of us.
Someone posted this in a motivational group I am a part of and I love it!
Focus on the center, finding the sweet combination between what you are good at, what the world needs, what you can be compensated for and what you love!
Also…if you are looking for more inspiration, check out my freshly published book!
I love this! Such a powerful reminder that no matter what, we have options and it’s the decisions of what we do with the “cards we are dealt” that determines our day, week, month, life…not the cards themselves.
My father told me that I could do anything
Don’t know why I don’t believe in, myself
My fears, they permeate the walls that I’ve made, with my hate
It’s getting harder to see it
But I know, do what is right, fight for the truth
Say something to them that means something to you
Invest in the love, hope for the best
Follow what’s in the left side of your chest
Be ready for highs, be ready for lows
A dream is a dream until you go
Through the mistakes, you’ll find who you are
Don’t reach for the moon when you’re going to Mars
We’re going to Mars
‘Cause we can do anything we want
We can do anything, it’s who we are
We can do anything
We’re going to Mars
Our legs are more than just finding ways to get through the hump
Wanting more than just breathing
My mother told me that I could do, anything and
I think I’m starting to see it
But I know forget the lies, remember the truth
Sing something to them that means something to you
Invest in the love, give it your best
Follow what’s in the left side of your chest
Be ready for highs, be ready for lows
Dream is a dream until you go
Make some mistakes, don’t forget who you are
Don’t reach for the moon when you’re going to Mars
We’re going to Mars
‘Cause we can do anything we want
We can do anything, it’s who we are
We can do anything
We’re going to Mars
Dissemination of Inspiration 