everything worth creating takes time
All of the stuff that we want…but don’t have yet…takes time.
Seems reasonable, right? Going from point A to point B in our three-dimensional world requires the element of time. Most things don’t happen instantaneously.
But we live in a door-dash world with so many conveniences and so much technology that we expect instant results. Most of us need to be reminded that things take time.
I wish this weren’t the case. I wish I had a magic bullet that helped me create what I want with lightning speed.
The internet is full of people that will promise you quick results. And they’re almost always selling something that doesn’t actually work.
So if you’re creating something…
Maybe things will line up just right and your results will come soon. I wish that for you. But if you find yourself waiting for what you want, I want to let you know that things taking time is very, very normal.
Everything in my life worth achieving or experiencing or creating has taken time.
It’s time to unshame time.
Let me be more specific. I’m in a second-career season of my life as a coach/practitioner/integrative change worker. Although it seems like I’ve been preparing for this my whole life, I’ve only been working as a coach for a couple of years. In addition to my private practice, I have a podcast, and I write for my blog and my Substack every week.
Writing, podcasting, and talking with people…without a doubt, my dream job! I started to envision and create my dream job way back when I was a concert pianist. It’s been a long time coming, and I love it so much.
But I’m impatient for more.
More clients, more coaching time, growing my community, publishing a book (a lifelong dream), and increasing my podcast audience. Part of this is ego-driven…I want to feel successful (and yeah, I’d like to be perceived as successful, too). But mostly, my impatience is driven by a deep love of this work.
I’m on my way to all of the things I want to do…but I’m not there yet.
I’m somewhere in the gap between where I started and where I want to be.
And here’s the problem:
I get down on myself for not being where I want to be yet.
For not having a fully-booked practice and a waiting list. For not having a book deal. I get down on myself even though, relatively speaking, I haven’t been at this for very long. A part of me expects quicker results. I’ll admit that I let it get me down more days than not.
This morning, though, I was thinking about all of the stuff in my life… past and present…that I have created. The things that I really value.
My relationship with my husband.
My musical career.
My graduate degrees.
My passion for running and my ability to run long distances.
My move to Colorado 8 years ago from Chicago.
Our dream home in the mountains.
All of these things began as a dream. They didn’t exist in any way, shape or form.
And I created them. (Of course, with a lot of luck, good timing, and help from other people.)
None of these treasured things…I repeat, NONE of them…were instantaneous. None of them were quick. They were processes. They took time. They all took years…some took decades.
Why do I forget this?
For example:
Last September we bought a beautiful mountain home on 5 acres, off a quiet dirt road with gorgeous views. It’s peaceful. We have incredible neighbors. We’re surrounded by National Forest. There are trails for running, hiking and skiing all around us.
We dreamed about a location like this for years. To be honest, finding something like this in the Colorado housing market seemed impossible.
A few years ago, we decided to start looking. We quickly found a beautiful house in a great mountain location and went under contract. This was in 2021, at the tail end of COVID and at the height of market craziness.
In a confusing and disheartening series of events, the seller’s agent pulled some sneaky moves. Essentially, the sellers let our contract expire so that they could accept a higher backup offer. Several realtors told us that what that selling agent did was unethical. The sellers happened to live in the next house over, so even if we’d managed to fight it, they would have been our neighbors.
We were devastated, to say the least…getting ready to buy had taken us several years, and the implosion of that deal brought us right back to square one. In fact, we were so unsettled by the experience that we put off searching for another two years.
At the time, we were two work-from-home adults, three cats, and a grand piano in 800 square feet with a noisy upstairs neighbor.
There were lots of reasons to feel frustrated.
But holding off seemed like the right thing to do. Two years passed. And when we were finally ready to start looking again, not only did we find our home quickly…
we paid a LOT less than we would have in that first deal…
AND we ended up in a much better location…
with exactly what we had wanted in the first place.
We’re fortunate that the first deal fell through. We are so much better off where we are now - in every way.
Creating what we wanted took time. It included a disappointing experience. And lots of frustration.
And it was worth the wait.
So, back to my current creation-in-progress…my second career as a coach, writer and podcaster.
My brain tells me that I should have everything I want already, and that it should feel effortless.
But my experience as a creator reminds me that I’m very much in the messy middle of the process.
The impatient part of me says, ‘why is this taking so long? Something must be wrong if it’s not all falling into place quickly.’
But get this…
I’m wise.
I’m a brilliant creator.
I’ve created so much cool stuff in my life.
And the wise, successful creator in me assures me that I’m right where I need to be.
Nothing’s wrong. It’s a process. An evolution.
The creator in me reminds me that everything that is worth anything…
takes time.
What are you creating? Click here to schedule a free connection call with me. And for more juicy life stuff, check out my podcast, coming home (to yourself). As always, may your week be filled with self-love and rich insights. With love, Amy ♡♡♡