It's Not Worth It!!!

I was reading a page in Stephen Covey’s daily reflections for highly effective people and the reflection of the day said, “happiness can be defined, in part at least, as the fruit of the desire and ability to sacrifice what we want now for what we want eventually” and I thought about this.

I feel that our world has become a type of microwave society in which we have become accustomed to getting anything we want right away. Nobody wants to wait for anything anymore. We have grown weary in exercising patience. We no longer have the patience or the work ethic that it takes to sustain anything long-term, let alone to wait for what we truly desire to manifest. We want everything now and we do whatever we need to in order to get it now. But some things take time—in the case of sewing and reaping, for example. If you plant a seed into the ground (I know I use this example a lot :-)) it's not going to come up tomorrow. It’s not going to come up next week. It may not even come up next month. It takes time to grow and to cultivate that particular seed before you ever begin to see the manifestation of it.

I fear that quite often, we will sacrifice what we really want and settle for what is available now because we lack the patience to wait for it. Don’t misunderstand me. I get it! But have you noticed how settling doesn’t bring the satisfaction or the sense of fulfillment that comes along with compromise? In my personal life I can take inventory and look at the things that I have compromised to receive now, because for whatever reason, what I really wanted was taking too long or I questioned whether or not it would ever come into fruition.

But I can't say that the things that I have chosen to fulfill me in the moment are actually doing that. I just settle for less than what I want because I can have it now. There is a quote that says, “a bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush.” I think that highlights the same type of mentality that, “hey at least we have something right now. It may not be what we want but we have something tangible in front of us. So why not settle for that? That other thing may never come.” That is a mindset issue and a patience issue.

As a business owner, I feel it necessary to emphasize how much patience is a part of the growth process. The foundation alone takes time to build. And after that, things may start to move a lot more rapidly, but it still takes time right to get to where you actually want to be. As a business coach, I feel it necessary to encourage and remind other entrepreneurs not to settle. Settling displays a lack of hope and a lack of patience. Have you ever considered that maybe what you really want you are not yet able to handle? Or that you are being prepared for its arrival? You are being cultivated as well. It’s a process. Embrace the process. I am encouraging you today: Don't settle for less. Don't compromise what you want simply because something that is easier to obtain is available right now. It is not worth it!