Learn To Have Patience

For without it life could be made more painful than it truly needs to be...

"Let us train our minds to desire what the situation demands. "

~ Seneca

In life there will be many times and situations where things just aren't moving fast enough for us and there's nothing we can do about it. This is simply an inescapable part of our existence here on Earth.


SUCCESS COMES IN STAGES

Getting upset or trying to rush things when they shouldn't be is often a fruitless exercise of frustration. Not everything is going to move at our pace. We need to condition ourselves to appreciate each step of the process.

You really do have to crawl before you can walk. And baby steps are progress too. It's how confidence and skill are developed first before moving on to bigger things. We don't try to rush a baby when they're learning to walk because we know it will take however long it will take and that's just that.

But how quickly we forget this critical lesson that comes early in life. Baby's don't give up when their efforts fail to bring fast results. Their parents don't either. Yet there are areas we think we have the power to speed things up and get mad when it doesn't go like we'd hoped it would.

Remember the fruit is the last part to develop on a plant or tree. The tiny seeds must first germinate. Then roots form as a stem begins to grow. Then leaves appear as the stem turns to branches. All while the roots are getting stronger and longer under the ground where no one can see them, and the tree or plant grows taller.

It is not until everything is just right and have fallen into place do the flowers form, get pollinated and bring forth fruit. This is the sweet reward for the patient planter who has learned to nurture while growth takes place. His patience pays off in a bountiful harvest. Life is no different.

If the fruit forms too soon, the branches are unable to bear its weight and collapse. The fruit becomes bruised or lost completely. There's a reason the internal programming sequence doesn't try to bear fruit until the time is right. And neither should you.

So be patient and let things take the time they must, even if to you it doesn't all make sense on the surface. Trying to rush things often doesn't end well.

Winning Takes Work!

By A.F. James MacArthur Ph.A.L.

"The universe is transformation; our life is what our thoughts make it." ~ Marcus Aurelius

A student recently came to me for advice on a personal problem. He was frustrated! He told me all he'd been doing and he was upset the results he expected to see weren't happening.

After getting some specific details I proceeded to tell him where I felt some simple changes could make a difference.

He looked and me I said "that sounds hard!"

I said, "well it is. I didn't say it would be easy. But it's simple."

The whole exchange forced me to compare our conversation to a larger metaphor on life.

So few people really achieve what they hope to in life and they're often puzzled why. But upon closer examination, you see people putting in an ordinary amount of effort, but somehow expecting some kind of extraordinary results. I wish it were that easy, but it isn't. It just doesn't work that way.

If you've ever chopped a tree (or seen it done) with an axe like I have, there's a vital life lesson you can learn from the process. It's doesn't matter how tired your arms are or how much they hurt, and how much you feel like quitting because the tree just won't fall over. It won't until you put in all the work needed. Nothing less. You've got to keep swinging!

Maybe you started thinking the job would be over after 100 strokes and you get there and the tree is still standing. Is it really that hard to figure out what to do? Of course not, you gotta keep on swinging. It's not over till it's over.

It's the same way in life. Things don't always happen as easy or as quickly as we hope or think they should. That doesn't mean it won't happen. But if we give up too soon, it guarantees we'll fail.

If we want to get the most out of a given situation, be it our job, school, relationship, athletics or what have you, we have to give it our all. Continued, persistent effort of doing the things we know we need to do really does pay off. As basic and simple as this may sound, hearing it is one thing. Knowing it is another. Yet applying it is where we usually fall short.

Life is hard! Winning takes work.

A lot of times when we think we're doing all we can do and we even say so in conversation, a brutally honest close examination reveals something else.

The older I get, the more I realize, there really are no shortcuts to success. This doesn't mean we won't get unexpected blessings and surprises sometimes, but I've found it is those who are most prepared for opportunity are the ones given the most opportunities in life.

In other words, I'm saying don't ever give up. Keep working. Work hard for what you want. Don't give in. When things aren't going your way and you're not achieving the results you believe you deserve, sometimes you have to stop, step back, and self assess. Make sure you're really doing all you can do towards getting your goals. If not, begin. It's never too late. If you're still alive.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Physical culturist and former multisport athlete, James MacArthur, has trained for, competed in, practiced and even failed at more sports and physical endeavours than a crossfitter on crack! And has the x-rays to prove it. Currently no longer involved in competition, a lifelong fan of being fit, MacArthur guides, instructs and motivates select few individuals seeking to make the most of their natural talent and abilities.