Patience has been a theme as of late in my morning pages as I ponder new beginnings and question how long growth takes. As I get frustrated about where I am or what may be, I repeat affirmations to myself. 

I am exactly where I need to be. 

I have everything I need for today. 

I will operate from a place of mindfulness. 

Time, what a funny thing. We can be so greedy yet so foolish with it. Time is not something you can hold onto. It is free, yet, you must be aware of its presence and power. 

I think a lot in imagery. It’s not uncommon for me to have an image come to mind when I think about a topic or concept. These images tell the story more simplistically than often the broad topic can encompass. This image came to me this morning as I considered time and progress. 

My desire to be on the mountaintop doesn’t bring me there. No amount of focus on the image or destination teleports me there. Yet, my desire to reach the mountaintop can propel my actions toward the goal. Even if I could take a helicopter up to the top, that would cheapen the experience, removing the grit, determination, error, and journey that the travel up would take me. An all-consuming hunger and passion for reaching the top allow me to prepare, plan and execute necessary actions. What is the point of reaching the objective without the hike? Without the pain, the blisters, the adaptations, the views, the lessons, and the effort, the mountain top is just a location. 

The view from the top is only as good as the journey itself, and the journey takes time. 

“I never lost a game. I just ran out of time,” Michael Jordan. 

This quote makes me smile. This is the determination never to let the clock win. As long as we have time in our lungs, the game isn’t over, the progress isn’t done, and the need for patience doesn’t disappear.