I am not patient. I want things that I want and I want them now. Amazon has ruined online shopping because I expect everything in 2 days. I want to the results and I want them now (ok, I can wait 48 hours... but NO LONGER).
As I get older, though, I am learning that patience is more than just a virtue. Patience is the whole game. Almost everything that I want to accomplish in my life can be summed up in the idea of patience. Do I want to want to get in shape? It’s going to take patience. Do I want to get better at something? It’s going to take patience. The ability to delay gratification is so much easier said than done.
For several areas of my life, patience is so crucial that I can’t even talk about what I am doing because the gratification of talking about the idea will stop me in my tracks of actually getting anything accomplished. This is how writing was for me in 2020. Talking about writing was enough to derail me from actually writing. I spent the better part of a year writing in secret and not publishing any words; I needed to get the practice under my hands before I inserted view counts and comments into the mix.
In 2021, I have made it a goal to write every single weekday (with some grace for weekends if needed). I spent January and February writing daily notes to myself in Notion (my note-taking system of choice) without sharing any content. This month (March ‘21 if you are reading this in the future) I am writing a blog post every day. I was part of a Daily Blogging Challenge group. It’s been a great way to get me into the habit of sharing public thoughts and having a system to keep me accountable. Even this is not where I started, because a year ago this would not have been a reality. I would have talked a good game, but I would not have written this consistently without a history of writing that I been developing over the last year. It’s all about patience.
Every day is a chance to move forward or shrink back in what I want to accomplish. It’s easier than it used to be to write every day. At this point it’s kind of a normal practice, but there is still that fear inside that wants to keep me from writing. What do we say to fear? Not today. I have a history of writing. I have documentation of thousands of words. So, I can just look at that blank page and blinking cursor and just begin to write. It’s not easy, but it’s easier. I think that is all that I can hope for.
Patience is keep me on this road; reminding myself that I need to be patient is what keeps me sane in the process. I heard about a friend who got an opportunity to pitch a book last week. I had 2 thoughts at the same time. 1. How cool! I love that they are getting that chance. 2. What about me? Why can’t I get a chance to pitch to publishers? The desire for notoriety was creeping in. I had to push it back and remind myself that I am doing the work that I am supposed to do in this moment. There is nothing more that I can do, because there is no magic bullet or secret way to the top.
Do I want to have a conversation with publishers? Yes! Is today my day? No. Should that stop me from writing and creating? Absolutely not. The only way to guarantee that I don’t get a book deal one day is to stop writing now. That is a sure-fire way to not get a bool deal. But if I want it, i’m going to have to work for it. Patience is the path of future reward.
As I get older, though, I am learning that patience is more than just a virtue. Patience is the whole game. Almost everything that I want to accomplish in my life can be summed up in the idea of patience. Do I want to want to get in shape? It’s going to take patience. Do I want to get better at something? It’s going to take patience. The ability to delay gratification is so much easier said than done.
For several areas of my life, patience is so crucial that I can’t even talk about what I am doing because the gratification of talking about the idea will stop me in my tracks of actually getting anything accomplished. This is how writing was for me in 2020. Talking about writing was enough to derail me from actually writing. I spent the better part of a year writing in secret and not publishing any words; I needed to get the practice under my hands before I inserted view counts and comments into the mix.
In 2021, I have made it a goal to write every single weekday (with some grace for weekends if needed). I spent January and February writing daily notes to myself in Notion (my note-taking system of choice) without sharing any content. This month (March ‘21 if you are reading this in the future) I am writing a blog post every day. I was part of a Daily Blogging Challenge group. It’s been a great way to get me into the habit of sharing public thoughts and having a system to keep me accountable. Even this is not where I started, because a year ago this would not have been a reality. I would have talked a good game, but I would not have written this consistently without a history of writing that I been developing over the last year. It’s all about patience.
Every day is a chance to move forward or shrink back in what I want to accomplish. It’s easier than it used to be to write every day. At this point it’s kind of a normal practice, but there is still that fear inside that wants to keep me from writing. What do we say to fear? Not today. I have a history of writing. I have documentation of thousands of words. So, I can just look at that blank page and blinking cursor and just begin to write. It’s not easy, but it’s easier. I think that is all that I can hope for.
Patience is keep me on this road; reminding myself that I need to be patient is what keeps me sane in the process. I heard about a friend who got an opportunity to pitch a book last week. I had 2 thoughts at the same time. 1. How cool! I love that they are getting that chance. 2. What about me? Why can’t I get a chance to pitch to publishers? The desire for notoriety was creeping in. I had to push it back and remind myself that I am doing the work that I am supposed to do in this moment. There is nothing more that I can do, because there is no magic bullet or secret way to the top.
Do I want to have a conversation with publishers? Yes! Is today my day? No. Should that stop me from writing and creating? Absolutely not. The only way to guarantee that I don’t get a book deal one day is to stop writing now. That is a sure-fire way to not get a bool deal. But if I want it, i’m going to have to work for it. Patience is the path of future reward.