Patience: A Virtue and a Freaking Mountain
Slow and steady wins the race. At least, that’s what they say. Unless you are my uncle, a firefighter, he might say otherwise.
I heard the saying in passing years ago, “slow is faster, and fast is slower,” and man, did that piss me off. I grew up as someone always on the go, rushing to get from point A to point B and back to point A again. I longed for the fastest way to get where I wanted to be. The “journey” my elders would talk to me about sounded dreadful, sad, lost, and, quite frankly, boring. I just wanted to reach my end destination - because that is where happiness lies… right?
Age brings wisdom, which I also learned to be a lie. My truth stands in life; experience brings wisdom. But only if you are willing to face each experience head-on, humble up, and listen to the lesson being presented to you. Here is where the fun happens.
Life experience, learning, and creating breed wisdom - not a number. It is not about how fast you learn the lesson life hands you, but rather soak it in. I learned a lot of life quickly and wanted to run right through it and get to the other side. But going through it and slowing down allowed me to set a new pace that worked for me. I realized I could get to where I wanted in life faster by slowing down, listening, and learning everything in front of me.
Yeah, I know—easier said than done. This is where my lesson on patience came from. And let me tell you—I am still actively learning it every single day. Not only am I in a constant state of learning patience, but I am also practicing it.
I realized that rushing through life’s tough experiences led me to unfulfilling destinations. Yeah, so what I made it through—I didn’t have much to show for it, due to the lack of knowledge I chose not to listen to while going through it.
Without patience, I missed out on life’s beauty. The beautiful parts happen in the moments of silence and stillness, the discomfort of stepping into the unknown, and the rapid pace of your heart through taking risks and putting yourself out there. The uncertainty is a part of the patience I learned and am still learning to get excited about. Maintaining curiosity keeps you humble and receptive and the best age-defier out there - and if Ulta and Sephora could bottle it up, they’d sell out.
Good things take TIME. What are you learning today?
