The Grace of Time.
Do you ever get frustrated with the person you see in the mirror? If you’ve ever tried to change something about yourself, you’ve probably experienced a sense of annoyance and impatience at how long it took to finally realize a different pattern of thoughts or behavior.
Even though you desire to change, it can still take much longer than you want, and be a source of irritation and resentment.
And sometimes, you wonder if it’s worth it.
Because constantly throwing your heart and soul against a problem, only to feel like you are failing, is a difficult endeavor. After trying for so long, it’s very human to feel like you want to give up, and just settle for where you have arrived at, telling yourself that you tried, but you weren’t strong enough.
But often times, the frustration that you feel is really a diversion of the energy you need to accomplish your goal, but you’re spending that energy in the wrong place.
Because you’re not giving yourself the grace of time.
This world has become so fixated on fast that we are losing our sense of time, and the perspective of life. I read an article the other day that stated that waiting 16 seconds is all it takes for some people to become frustrated these days.
With instant answers at our fingertips, and instant food on our plates, it’s no wonder that we’ve begun to crave instant changes in ourselves, and those around us.
Forgetting that change takes time, and grace is the gift of giving yourself time to change.
Everyone who’s ever accomplished some great change, some incredible manifestation, has likely had to overcome themselves, the world and the laws of the universe at large.
Chances are they failed time after time after time, but somehow they didn’t beat themselves down, they used their emotional energy to focus on getting better, and lifting themselves up.
The difference is very small, but like they say, the devil’s in the details.
Because overcoming your problems, especially those inside of you, is more about what you know than who you are. Having a thought or a behavior that you want to change doesn’t mean that you are a bad person, it means that there’s something you haven’t discovered yet, and discovery takes time.
Every attempt at changing can give you exposure to new thoughts, new ideas, and new possibilities.
And every new attempt is another chance to succeed.
It’s been said that necessity is the mother of invention, and I would add that desire is the birthplace of determination. Yesterday I invited you to ‘Dream Harder’, and today I am inviting you to Accept Longer.
Longer means knowing that the change that you want takes time, it takes effort, and sometimes, it takes help. Longer is the gift of more time to try, to overcome, to succeed.
Longer doesn’t judge you as a person, longer doesn’t mock you or put you down. You do that to yourself when you fail to accept longer, and give yourself grace through the gift of time.
Wherever you are at on your journey, and whatever you are trying to change, please know that you have value, and you are enough. Whether you succeeded on your first try, or you just failed on your 1000th attempt, you are still incredible, and are still worthy.
So keep trying. Failure is a part of success, icause t’s the pathway to success, and we all have to walk it, no matter how long it takes.
— Dr. Alan Barnes
@maddrbmusings