Let It Grow
I had the greatest horoscope today. It was one of the greatest little nuggets of wisdom I have ever read. Unfortunately I didn't clip it but as far as I can remember, it went like this: Don't plant a seed and sit there and expect to watch it grow. It doesn't happen quickly. Don't get discouraged when you don't see results, these things take time. It was far more eloquent than that, but that was the gist of it. And it is so true.
I can't tell you how many times I have resolved to do something in my life, and then quit because it wasn't happening fast enough. Diets are a great example of this, although I have come to learn that "diets", per se, are a total waste of time and unhealthy to boot. Let's use "lifestyle change" instead. I've resolved to eat healthier and exercise more ... great intentions, and if I stick to a plan, I should see results, right? The problem is, I stick to this regime for a few days, get up one morning and look in the mirror and see no visible change. I automatically think, "Fuck, this isn't working, the hell with it!" and go back to eating stuff that isn't good for me, don't move myself as much as I should, and ... the cycle of self-abuse begins again. I start telling myself that I'm weak, that I'm lazy, etc. etc., when I know that isn't true at all. The fact is, I just haven't had the patience to wait it out and see it happen.
The same principle can apply to anything in life. Looking for a job, for example, which I'm doing now. It's so easy to get discouraged when you send out your resume to God knows how many places, and you get little, if any, response. You figure nobody is reading it, they're just throwing it in the trash, so why even bother? You start feeling worthless, useless. But the same thing applies. If you plant a seed in fertile ground, it'll sprout. If you plant it somewhere else, it might not. But even if it does grow, it takes TIME. It doesn't happen right away.
We have been so conditioned in our society to expect results immediately. Delaying gratification has always been one of the hardest things for me to do, and for most of us. We "need" something so bad, we can't stand to wait for it. Well, we have to learn to stop needing it so much. We need to master the ability to step back and wait for what we want, while still working towards it. I sort of think of it as a caterpillar being encased in a cocoon and then one day, all of a sudden ... voila! A spectacular butterfly emerges. You couldn't see it in there, changing, developing ... but day by day, those tiny, miniscule changes are taking place that contribute to it becoming that amazing, beautiful butterfly.
There is so much negative garbage around us. There is so much out there that challenges our beliefs, that bombards us with self-doubt, that makes us feel inadequate. We need to learn to tune all that garbage out, and listen only to ourselves. I know our own voice is a mere whisper in comparison to the yelling, jeering, screaming we hear from others around us. But there's no doubt that it's the voice we should be listening to.
I can't tell you how many times I have resolved to do something in my life, and then quit because it wasn't happening fast enough. Diets are a great example of this, although I have come to learn that "diets", per se, are a total waste of time and unhealthy to boot. Let's use "lifestyle change" instead. I've resolved to eat healthier and exercise more ... great intentions, and if I stick to a plan, I should see results, right? The problem is, I stick to this regime for a few days, get up one morning and look in the mirror and see no visible change. I automatically think, "Fuck, this isn't working, the hell with it!" and go back to eating stuff that isn't good for me, don't move myself as much as I should, and ... the cycle of self-abuse begins again. I start telling myself that I'm weak, that I'm lazy, etc. etc., when I know that isn't true at all. The fact is, I just haven't had the patience to wait it out and see it happen.
The same principle can apply to anything in life. Looking for a job, for example, which I'm doing now. It's so easy to get discouraged when you send out your resume to God knows how many places, and you get little, if any, response. You figure nobody is reading it, they're just throwing it in the trash, so why even bother? You start feeling worthless, useless. But the same thing applies. If you plant a seed in fertile ground, it'll sprout. If you plant it somewhere else, it might not. But even if it does grow, it takes TIME. It doesn't happen right away.
We have been so conditioned in our society to expect results immediately. Delaying gratification has always been one of the hardest things for me to do, and for most of us. We "need" something so bad, we can't stand to wait for it. Well, we have to learn to stop needing it so much. We need to master the ability to step back and wait for what we want, while still working towards it. I sort of think of it as a caterpillar being encased in a cocoon and then one day, all of a sudden ... voila! A spectacular butterfly emerges. You couldn't see it in there, changing, developing ... but day by day, those tiny, miniscule changes are taking place that contribute to it becoming that amazing, beautiful butterfly.
There is so much negative garbage around us. There is so much out there that challenges our beliefs, that bombards us with self-doubt, that makes us feel inadequate. We need to learn to tune all that garbage out, and listen only to ourselves. I know our own voice is a mere whisper in comparison to the yelling, jeering, screaming we hear from others around us. But there's no doubt that it's the voice we should be listening to.
posted by emily pound at 7:52 AM
3 Comments:
Absolutely, Jennie. A life coach I used to go and see told me that humans are basically wired to get what they want for the least amount of pain and effort. Unfortunately, life does not work that way.
Whata a wonderful riff on life... like a jazz musician apparently going nowhere in particular, but leading you around as if there were a ring in your nose, you play out the eternal battle between what we know is right and immediate gratification. Like the twelve steppers always say... you have to confront your demons before you can start to beat them. Well, you haven't just confronted yours, you've played with them, dissed them and told them that you'll be out to play sometime,... but not soon.
Go get 'em girl.
Huge
Thanks, sweetie pie! I'm soldiering on ...
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