Step 46 – Be patient

If someone asked me to choose only one thing as my most valuable lesson NY taught me, it would have to be – being patient. I’m so happy I finally learned this very difficult (for me) skill.

I’ve always had problems with this. I’ve always been very impatient. I couldn’t wait a minute, I had to have it now, right away. It took me many years and many painful lessons to finally understand one crucial thing – I don’t have to get everything I want right away. You don’t have to get everything right away, either. 

There is a reason why you’re supposed to wait for certain things. There is a reason why it has to be a process sometimes. I understand that we’re living in a world of fast solutions, where everything is instant and it’s delivered at practically the very moment we ask for it. But it happens that life doesn’t work like way. You can’t constantly get what you want, just because you want it. I want many things, but I realized that I have to wait for them. I don’t think I deserve them right now. If I got them, just because I have this desire to have them, I wouldn’t appreciate them. Think about it. Aren’t you prouder of things that you accomplished after you put in a lot of work? What do you value most? A trip, a car, books,  a laptop, a camera that you saved money for and that you had to work your ass off for, or the same things that were just given to you? 

I’ve mentioned on Just Like NY already that I started learning to surf (and yes, I saved money for that myself and sacrificed a few things to get it – like living by myself) and that it was teaching me patience, too. Surfing has shown me that just because you think you’re able to surf by yourself, just because you bought a wetsuit and a board and you have time on Saturday morning, it doesn’t mean you’ll be surfing that day. Yes, you are ready, but the ocean might not be. Just because you want to surf doesn’t mean you’ll get the waves that you want. You might get one or two, or five if you’re very lucky, but you might also get none. I was frustrated a few times, but then I understood – it’s not time yet. I’d keep coming back, though, waiting for that perfect day when the ocean would allow me to surf as many waves as I wanted. And I was sure that I’d really appreciate them more then. 

One day I didn’t catch any waves, but there was sun shining, and suddenly I saw dolphins swimming around us. Was I angry that I didn’t surf that day? Not at all, because I had a beautiful day in a company of dolphins in the ocean. Sometimes you get what you need, not what you think you want. And sometimes it’s better to wait because you might want something that you actually don’t even need. 

So please, be patient and wait it out.

Share: