Waiting for something is an art.
And having the patience to wait for something is a very powerful thing.
When was the last time you waited for something?
Maybe it was a goal that didn’t work out, and you had to make adjustments. And it just didn’t happen in the time frame you wanted. And so you had to wait. And be patient.
Or did you throw your hands in the air, call it a day, and move on to the next thing?
No judgment here, that is how I used to be. If something didn’t work out very fast, I didn’t give it space to work out at all.
- That is in part why my resume looks like it does. Every 2 years, I would move onto the next thing. Because I didn’t get where I was hoping to go fast enough. I had no patience. I did not like waiting, and my career suffered for it.
- I have done hot yoga ‘stints’ (as I call them) about 3 times. Each time, diving in. Going hard into the 30 day challenges, doing 3 or 4 of them. Loving it at first. Then not seeing the results I wanted after about 6 months. And moving on.
- I have joined MLM companies, loved the product. Talked about it twice. Had no results from the 2 times I briefly mentioned them. And moved on.
There is something very valuable about waiting, and this idea of time. Things happen when the time is right, and sometimes it’s really out of our control. We can take action on things, and try to move the needle forward. But sometimes, we just need to wait. And be patient. And that is the hardest part. I have had to learn the skill of being patient. And for my restless, high achiever brain – it’s been one of the hardest things.
In July of 2022, I started working with a running coach. I see the value in exercise, my husband is a runner, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to be better at. In the past, I would have just googled something about running for beginners – ran for a few weeks. With no real rest in between. Exhausted my muscles into fatigue, blamed it on my age and lack of fitness, and moved on to the next thing.
Hiring a coach prevented me from doing that non-supportive behaviour of mine. It has taken me 10 months to be able to run 12 kms (at one time) and feel great the next day. It took patience. And I waited for my legs to get stronger, my lungs to get stronger, my mindset to get stronger. And now, I continue to build on my running goals as I go.
It’s taken patience for me to build up my running strength. And I haven’t always liked it. But I knew my end goal – and there was no rush to get there. Along the way, I have had to remind myself to fall in love with the journey, not the destination.
In the beginning, there were days where I felt I could run a lot longer than I was. I started at 1 minute of running, 1 minute of walking … 9 times. That was it. That’s all I did, and I was patient with my results. Now, I run 9 minutes, walk 1 minute … for 1 hour and 45 minutes. And, mostly I enjoy all of it. I would be lying if I didn’t say that some days I watch every second, and am just waiting to be done. But, most of the time, I enjoy all of the run.
I believe it’s because I practiced patience. I took it one step at a time. I stuck with my coach. I stuck with the training.
And now, I enjoy the wait. I know that there will be a day where I can run a half marathon, and enjoy it and feel great the next day. That day is coming, and I am happy to wait for it to get here.
PS If you are thinking about running, my coach is Sarah. This is her IG profile, and she’s amazing.