Sometimes, I am impatient

As much as I try to be cool and do things graciously, I also have my ‘moments’ when I feel (even if I ignore) that there’s too much in my hands. I’ve re-read one particular chapter in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari last night. To keep me sane for the moment.

John: Hit me with the quick fixes. I’m excited about what you are telling me. But I’m an impatient guy.
Julian: Ironically, the less you focus on the end result, the quicker it will come.
John: How so?
Julian: (tells a story)

There was a young boy who traveled far from his home to study under a great teacher. When he met the wise old man, his first question was “how long will it take me before I am as wise as you?”

The response came swiftly, “Five years.”

“That is a very long time,” the boy replied. “How about if I work twice as hard?”

“Then it will take ten years,” said the master.

“Ten! That’s far too long. How about if I studied all day and well into the night, every night?”

“Fifteen years,” said the master.

“I don’t understand,” replied the boy. “Every time I promise to devote more energy to my goal, you tell me that it will take longer. Why?”

“The answer is simple. With one eye fixed on the destination, there is only one left to guide you along the journey.”

Moral: Be patient and live with the knowledge that all you are searching for is certain to come if you prepare for it and expect it. All lasting change requires time and effort. Persistence is the mother of personal change.

Hope you, too, felt better after reading this.