09/13/2023: Patience
Through all my years, a constant lesson I was forced to learn was patience. I learned that instant gratification wasn’t satisfactory for me, and I worked hard for as long as I can remember, at whatever it was that I was doing. The hard work always paid off, and I understood that keeping my head down and working hard was the key to my success.
I soon learned that there are times you think mere patience alone will get you where you want or need to go if you just work hard, but once I got my first taste of what abuse of and lack of appreciation for my talents was like, I quickly discovered that there are other key elements that come into play in order to feel fulfilled, to feel like all your hard work matters.
I had no idea how important a sense of self was in this crazy world we live in, and once I understood that this was missing in my pursuit of success, I couldn’t live without it from that day on. This realization changed the course of my life in very unexpected ways that are still revealing themselves to me.
It has been two years now since I embarked on this journey of my own design, and I never looked back the day I decided to take my life back. I had a lot to learn and I had to face my biggest obstacle yet over these last couple of years: myself. I realized immediately that I had no patience with myself, with who I was as an individual. I didn’t like who I was when I was alone with myself or my thoughts. When I realized everything I had done was for the wrong reasons, I could then start to repair my sense of self.
It has been a hard journey mentally and emotionally, but it has proved to be the most rewarding journey I’ve been on in this mundane life of mine. And I finally understood the value of patience not only with myself and my current rate of growth, but also in my relationships and the world around me.
When I see friends and family struggling with life’s endless trials, or trying to love themselves in their own skin, the key factor that I find lacking is patience. With time and self love, I have learned that people can grow and change for the better.
Patience has been the theme of my life in all aspects so far. I remember years ago when my love told me the most admirable trait he witnessed in his family was patience and understanding. We aren’t always going to be our best every single day. We will let ourselves, as well as the people we care about most, down. But what sets us apart from those who don’t seek growth is our capability to love at our worst, and to try hardest when we would rather give into despair. If I had one piece of advice for anyone who needed it, I would say to be patient with yourself and the people around you, and to do it for you, because you can’t help others be their best if you aren’t striving for greatness yourself.