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With so much of what we do, there is often the temptation to jump immediately to the end.
We want to race through all of the messy, early stages because we’re eager to reach the final product. We want the success and the rewards and the long string of accomplishments, and we want them all as quickly as possible. But we forget that all things take time, and good things tend to take a great deal of time.
This, of course, is not something we want to hear, particularly in an age when we’re constantly hearing about the success stories of one multi-million dollar startup after another. Not surprisingly, these kinds of stories only feed the urge to get there as quickly as possible ourselves — but, as I am increasingly coming to realize, that kind of thinking is often counterintuitive when it comes to pursuing success.
For instance, I noticed that it wasn’t until I stopped chasing overnight success that I really started to come into my own as a writer. Once I finally began to recognize that, yes, this is something that will take time, I experienced a radical shift in perspective.
After that, I started to approach my writing from an entirely different point of view. I felt a tremendous sense of relief because I no longer measured my success by how long it was taking. And once I was no longer in a hurry to get there, I didn’t care about anything other than fully investing my time and energy into writing as often and as best as I could.
The funny thing is, that is perhaps the most helpful mindset to have when working towards a goal.
Jana Marie is a Croatian-born writer living amidst the restorative embrace of the Canadian Prairies.
Through her writing, she examines the interplay between self and society as she works to both illuminate and explore the power of contemplative thinking. Her recently completed two-year project, 100 Mindful Days, which combines teachings from the worlds of personal development, self-care, and wellness, will soon be her first book.
If you’d like to hear from her more often, you can subscribe to her newsletter here.
