How do we navigate impatience?
How do we navigate disappointment when our efforts seem to be squashed again and again, even with the best intentions?
Weren’t we supposed to BE there by now?
You look up at the clock and all you see and feel is that tick tock….tick tock. And you can feel so hopeless, and that you literally have no control over your dreams.
You can feel like you are in the midst of so many moving pieces, not getting the results you want. And you are frustrated.
So, what’s the answer?
I was walking through a crowded and busy subway station today. Under the belly of New York City, all shapes, sizes, demographics, and ages come together for that speeding train to take us to our destination.
And everyone seems to have a different pace.
Me? I was moving fast. I wanted to get to the end of the platform to catch my train and was very focused on this task. Along the way, I side-stepped those moving slowly, those distracted by their phones, and those walking two by two with a friend.
Those at a different pace than me.
The train came into the station quicker than I expected, before I had reached the end of the platform, so I turned quickly and waited at the door for those to exit, and sat down in the cool air conditioned car. I wasn’t where I wanted to be on the train, but I was on it.
I was going to make it home, just from a different place.
And the question arose,
“Where am I in all of this?”
I began to think of all my years of professionally dancing, and having to constantly be aware of the other performers on stage. While we had rehearsed and spent a lot of time to perfect the show, spacing was everything. I needed to be aware of my spacing in regards to the other dancers.
I needed to learn how to be a PART of the ensemble, and still accountable for my role.
I had to hone my periphery vision, much like the subway platform. This is how I got on the train. So, how are you boarding?
When the impatience arises, what is YOUR role in it?
Are you pushing it out of your way, and cursing under your breath?
If you were on the crowded subway platform, would you shove those aside that are moving at a slower pace?
We can’t control others, but we can learn how to be in a world of constant shifts and changes. We can move with the flow, instead of fighting it tooth and nail.
Because what we resist, persists. And change is a constant.
And in truth, the fight is within. We aren’t battling with the “others” on the subway platform. We are battling with our perception of our ROLE in it.
You can make a choice in the moment to get caught up in all that is holding you back from putting your work out to the world, and start blaming all the external circumstances. OR, you can make another choice, one that isn’t grounded in beating yourself and others around you up.
One that is grounded in freedom.
Freedom for your Creativity
Freedom for your Artistry
Freedom for your Dreams
And what if, with all of this, we took a moment and recognized we actually ARE on the train….
We can allow each other, and most importantly ourselves to move at our own pace, and take comparison out of the equation.
We can be accountable for OUR role, and be aware of the space between us and our fellow passengers on the train.
We are all making our way there. It just may be from a different subway car than you originally expected.
But our Creative Life is happening, every day and the train is moving. Time continues. Your point of power is the present moment. That’s all we really do have.
So choose the role that actually feeds that.