Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Patience is one of the few virtues that we hear about so often, and yet it is so hard to practice. We can go around boasting about how important it is to be patient, but one tricky situation is all it takes to trigger the panic alarm in us.
Let’s face it. Good things take time. Whether it is building a career or nurturing a relationship, it takes a lot of time and patience for us to get where we want. Of course, you may come across overnight rags-to-riches stories, but such tales are more about luck than planning. Besides, one might get to the top by chance, but it takes more than a stroke of luck to stay there.
The truth is that patience is an essential ingredient to the recipe of success. And what better way to learn this elusive virtue from than Mother Nature herself? Everything we like and cherish about nature is the result of some painstaking patience. For instance, every drop of fuel that runs our cars is the result of millions of years of decomposition and whatnot. Everything we love – from the majestic mountains to the breathtaking beaches – took eons to come into being.
That said, being patient isn’t the same as being lethargic; waiting for the right time to make the right move doesn’t mean adopting a sluggish attitude and waiting for things to work themselves out. It is more about believing in the path one undertakes than leaving everything to time. A patient person is someone who keeps putting in the hard yards in pursuit of their dreams without getting deterred by the challenges that life throws at them. Their approach is proactive yet pragmatic; they focus on the process rather than the outcome. Ultimately, such a person, with their organized, systematic outlook, is more likely to succeed than someone who keeps altering their approach every now and then.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, poet, and philosopher. Emerson once wrote: “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”