Doing your own thing takes what it takes. Commitment, effort, time, discipline, love, and so much more. There comes the time you feel stuck on a plateau. Things are not moving so fast anymore. Perhaps you should give it a break and wait for divine inspiration or clients ringing your door, or whatever is the thing you’re waiting for.
I often face these moments of passivity wondering if I should feel guilty or accept it as a part of the process. People tell me I need to be patient. And yes, there’s a point to it.
But when is patience an excuse for procrastinating tasks?
Patience is often essential, but it can be a trap of your ego not to start doing the inconvenient things you should be doing. That’s why I think patience is ok depending on the situation.
It’s PATIENCE WITH THE RESULTS that’s important. This is where you need to be perseverant, don’t give up and don’t expect immediate results. Trust that the results will come, it’s just a matter of time.
PATIENCE WITH YOURSELF is another super important thing to learn. Especially if you’re perfectionistic, you need to be good with yourself and allow yourself to make mistakes. It doesn’t mean you’re stupid or slow just because you messed up something or because you couldn’t get this project started so far.
Another thing I had to learn the hard way is PATIENCE IN REGARDS TO CLARITY. I admire those who know exactly what they want to do, what their goals are and what their next steps will be. I have never felt or seen this clarity with my own projects. It was more like “Ok, it sounds fun now, I’ll start and see how it goes and where it leads me.” I was always walking in a fog seeing the next two meters and not much more. Not because I’m not a planning person – I definitely am – but because I simply didn’t know what I wanted and what my ultimate goal was. If you’re any similar to me, you’ll probably feel identified with this. Don’t worry, just do what feels right and then see where your journey goes. Don’t expect total clarity from the start.
Having said this, we could have a look at where patience is a trap.
Sitting at the computer doing unproductive things like watching movies or shopping is a way to distract yourself and to relax. But if you feel urged to spend a lot of time doing such unproductive things it may be you’re procrastinating.
You could ask yourself: What tasks am I trying to avoid? What should I be doing and I am not?
The same goes with creativity. I had days were I couldn’t bring myself to do anything creative although I felt the need for it. I just didn’t know what to do so I did nothing. Instead of this, it’s better to start doing something even if you’re not sure this is it, and see if you get inspired. Waiting for inspiration to come is not really helpful, unless you do something that really triggers your creativity and inspiration, such as going for a walk or listening to your favourite music.
If you’re procrastinating your creativity time ask yourself: What is it that keeps me from being creative, working on that plan, painting that picture etc.?
Be honest with yourself. Often what seems like boredom, lack of inspiration or the urge to do unproductive things is simply fear. Fear of being a failure, fear of expressing your authentic self, fear of rejection, fear of doing those inconvenient tasks like calling someone or selling yourself.
What is it? Look at it and see.
Are you being patient? Or are you procrastinating your unique potential, talent and gifts only you can give to this world?