This week I was thinking a lot about time and patience. Most of us want things to happen right away. We often turn away from things once we realize it might take years, or longer than we initially expected. I remember when I was in college, and I changed my major to psychology. I was really enjoying my psych classes but after a while I realized that I would have to be in school longer than I wanted to be able to get a good job. I changed my major again shortly after. It’s funny how looking back at that time, I would’ve never thought that I would’ve end up being in school for the same amount of time that I was trying to avoid (if not longer). And after all of that, I still went to grad school anyway. I wonder what would’ve happened if I just didn’t focus on the projected timeframe.
Time can be so intimidating. Some of us are afraid to waste time. If we can get something else quicker then we usually opt for that, but in reality, sometimes it causes us to take the longer road. A lot of us circle back to our passion years later, and we can’t help but think what would’ve happened if we would’ve stuck with it the first time. We were too impatient to go for our dreams that we end up trying different things that we hated only to go back to the beginning. So those extra 2 to 4 years that you were afraid of turned into 8 years. Sometimes we have to believe in our dreams and stay the course. Time is going to go by regardless, and although it feels like it’s far away it’s actually quicker than you think. There are so many new projects that I started then stopped because it wasn’t moving fast enough for me. Years later, I look back and wonder what would’ve happened if I kept going. What if I was consistent for the last 4 years? I got scared hearing other people’s stories on how it took them 4 to 6 years to get their projects off the ground and running. That kind of timeline frightened me. I was aiming for something that was guaranteed to work within 1 to 2 years, but the crazy thing about life is that there are no guarantees.
If I could go back in time, I would’ve just stayed the course and stayed true to myself. I would’ve followed my heart. Running from what I truly wanted just doubled the length of the journey. There were multiple things that I started 5 years ago (and projects from even 7 years ago) that I initially gave up on not long after I started. What would’ve transformed after 5 to 7 years of consistency? I could only shudder to think. Realizing where I could be actually makes me sick to my stomach, but it’s a lesson learned. If you’re reading this, take this as a sign to stay the course. Don’t fear the journey! Four to six years seem so far away at first, but don’t let that intimidate you. It’s going to be four years before you know it. If you really want it, put in that work, and stay consistent!
It feels like I’m restarting my path, but with more wisdom. As I mentioned before in a previous post, I hate “what if’s” and want no parts of it. I have a lot of “what if’s” from my younger years and I told myself a couple years ago that I will try my best to see things through. I don’t want to keep running. I don’t want to continue to wonder. I WANT TO KNOW. I don’t want to look back over my life and know that I didn’t give 110 percent to my dreams. I at least have to say that I tried, but not knowing is out of the question. I’m in my “Getting the Answers” Era. You know what they say: Better Late Than Never.
JustGottaMakeIt 