Be Patient, You Are Where You Need To Be

Sometimes I feel like I have so many things that I want to do and I let myself become stressed out, as I become impatient and dissatisfied with the position I'm in.

However, I have to constantly remind myself that I need to be patient and that everything is a process with a successful outcome. Although I have failed countless times, all my actions I recognize as successes. They are successes not because they turned out the way I wanted them to, but because they turn out the way they needed to in order for me to grow, improve, and learn. And if in every circumstance I grow, improve, and learn--that only makes me a better person and only furthers my evolution in all areas. And when I become a better person, that is a success in every aspect of the word.

Only when I was able to learn to appreciate the process of my work and everything else, was when I truly realized I am exactly where I need to be. If anything in my life were any different, if I would have rushed anything, or changed the way I had done a task, I wouldn't be exactly where I am right now. I wouldn't have learned the things I know now, I wouldn't have been put in the places that God and the universe wanted me in. I wouldn't have met all the wonderful people who have been put in my life at random and unexpected moments, who have learned from me and vice versa.

However, if you are a person who feels like they aren't where they should be, or if you are unhappy with the place you are in
--switch up the way you look at things. Be aware of the way you feel and why you feel that way. You can't blame people or circumstances for this, but instead take responsibility for not letting yourself be happy in the position you are in. Rather than seeing everything as negative or hindering to yourself, see these things as positive and necessary for your growth and happiness. Instead of creating negative energy that makes you feel shitty, let it go. Let the bad stuff go, and now try and only focus on the good. Become grateful for them, rather than hateful of them. Once you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.

Being patient isn't always easy. Patience comes with the necessary action of trusting yourself--and unfortunately, many of us don't trust ourselves. That is one of the most important and vital components of being happy and succeeding, is being able to trust that you are capable, committed, and motivated enough to accomplish your goals. Without having trust in yourself, how can you have trust in the process of your actions? You can't. It doesn't add up. You must first establish the trust within yourself, which will then carry over into having trust with the process of everything that comes your way.

Often, I become very anxious because things don't go my way, or don't turn out exactly the way I expected them to. But I had to learn to appreciate the art of uncertainty and learn to see everything as a success, no matter how I felt about it. Sometimes we let our emotions control so much of ourselves, but what we don't realize at that moment is that emotions are just temporary states of being which we often act upon. I have learned that no real decision can be based off of emotion. Often times when we act off of emotion, we regret it or ponder on whether it was the right thing to do. We often say things or do things we don't mean based off of anger, sadness, or even temporary excitement and happiness. We don't take enough time to evaluate the process and consequences of the way things may turn out when we decide to do things differently then we are supposed to.

I have learned that I have to see things as a map, rather than just a pinpoint or destination. When I look at things through the layout of a map, it gives me the chance to see the bigger picture. I am able to see other roads I may take, shortcuts, roadblocks, and things that may get in the way of where I'm trying to go. I am able to better appreciate and see the process of the journey from a different perspective, rather than just focusing on the destination. When you focus only on the pinpoint of your destination, you are blinded to all the good and bad things that come along with the journey. You are unable to see the signs, pitstops, or detours along the way, that are ultimately there for your benefit.

Being patient has made me appreciate the little setbacks that come with everything. Rather than hating them or becoming irritated or anxious with them like I used to be, I now see them as necessary for my growth and improvement overall. I see them as tests and evaluations that remind me that everything, no matter what it is--is a process that involves twists and turns, ups and downs, that will eventually get me to where I need to be in life. Sometimes unfortunate events mask themselves to be negative, but they are only a test where you are the person who gets to decide whether or not you turn that negative into a positive. Furthermore, with every negative, there is a positive waiting to be seen from an alternate perspective.

We are all so desperate to understand why things don't go our way, or why things take longer than we expected them to. But we are the ones who actually fail to be understanding of the process. It's no surprise that expectation leads to disappointment, and I feel like I am constantly reminding myself and others that we have to be absolutely comfortable with having no expectations. We must learn to be patient and comfortable knowing that not everything will go our way, and that's OK. Once you master this and the art of patience, nothing will ever disturb your peace. And when begin to control that one aspect of yourself, you will slowly realize that you will always succeed, regardless of anything that comes your way. You just have to remember that you are exactly where you need to be. Everything happens the way it's supposed to.

My Uber Driver, Hannington.

So usually with Uber drivers, a conversation can be a very weird, silent, or awkward encounter. But today, Hannington picked me up & little did I know we would have such an in depth conversation about life. With a little small talk to begin, I learned that he was from Zimbabwe, Africa and he learned that I was a journalism major. 

He then continued in saying that I HAD to help him with a plan that he has to revolutionize , aid, and empower the African people with a new economic system. He told me he was dyslexic and had a hard time writing and reading--which then hinders him in pursuing and sharing his plan with others. We then continued in talking about why Africa is the way it is, which can also be relative to the human race as a whole. 

They don't understand anything more than what they've been presented. All they know is the tradition, culture, and oppression of their people in simply trying to survive in poverty. We agreed in that, all people's truth is imbedded in their perception and that individuals are incapable of reaching their full mental capacity and consciousness because of the framework they've been conditioned to. 

Hannington also shared his ideas about how we are so money driven in this world which creates a void in many people's lives--the market (who will always be making money) makes us think we need the perfect house, the perfect car, material things and they give us the opportunity to gain these things, but only if we take out loans or let ourselves fall in a hole of debt, while the rich get richer in the consumption and purchase of these things which we truly cannot afford. 

We also talked about the universe and consciousness, as well as the ability to manifest your desires based on a liberating and open mindset. He said the energy that you put out is what you will receive and that ultimately, thoughts become things. Which is one of the main ideas I live my life founded on. Immediately within our conversation, I explained to him that our paths had crossed for a reason (all because I needed an uber driver) but also because he needed my help in pursuing this plan of his, from me, a journalism student with a capacity to understand his passion and perseverance to create a better world. Our energies attracted to positively make a difference and to help each other further our evolution as a human race. 

It's very rare to come across a person to passionate about helping other people. In today's world, like I mentioned, people have a hard time having a conversation with someone who's helping them get a ride somewhere. Meeting Hannington was so motivating and empowering; to know that there are people like him trying to inspire and pursue their dreams while at the same time trying to help others is such a remarkable thing. His understanding of the world and ability to see things through different perceptions truly makes him a more liberated person, than any other. People like Hannington give me hope in our people to make the world a better place, regardless of where you come from--with a positive mindset and passion to pursue your dreams, anything is possible. 

Play Your Cards Right

Too many times we know the consequences of our actions, but still choose to take a wrong turn.

Eventually, you have to take accountability for the position you're in and if you aren't exactly where you want to be, then you should probably make some sort of change. Turn your circumstances around and put yourself in the position to succeed. Some of us are too complacent with being unhappy or don't mind the feeling of dissatisfaction.

I don't know about you, but I am the only person responsible for motivating myself. Although I do have a supportive group of people surrounding me in all aspects of life-- nobody ever told me what to do with my life, nobody ever held my hand throughout every part of my life. There isn't always going to be someone there for you every step of the way to tell you what to do and where to go. Things change when you grow up. Often times you feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, but what nobody told you is that all you have to do is get a little stronger and after awhile it doesn't become so heavy.

Has anyone ever told you that you are capable of doing/being whatever/whoever you want to be? What do you want? Who do you want to be? What do you want out of life? Whatever it may be, go get it. Many of us have the answers to these questions, while some of us don't. If you don't have the answers, then take the quality time to figure out what truly brings you happiness. And, if you do have the answers, then start living your life in parallel to manifest those desires.

Everything you do is founded on a decision that YOU made. So, why don't we decide to start doing things we know will pay off in the future? Think about it--you are exactly where you are because of the decisions you made. They might have been subconscious decisions you made out of emotion or routine, but they were still based off of choice. Now instead of being so passive in our decision making, how about we try to become more aware of our actions and the decisions we make? Only then, are we are able to ponder on whether or not they will serve us good in the future.

A question I repeatedly ask myself throughout the day is, "What are you doing at this moment in your life that is going to get you to where you want to be in the future?", and if I'm doing something that isn't in correspondence with that, then I make a change. At that point, is when I give myself the power to change my life at will and hold myself accountable for the circumstances I'm in. In doing so, there is no way for me to make excuses or point the finger at others for where I am in life.

It is the most liberating feeling to know that you are capable of achieving everything you've ever wanted to. To some of us, this is a frightening thing. Some of us are scared of making changes because we are all too comfortable with life and see change with fear in our eyes. Or, some of us are just too lazy to put in the effort and hard work necessary to get to where we want to be. And instead, we decide to settle for something less than what we desire.

What good ever came from settling? Why not go the extra mile? Not everyone does, and at times it may be a little lonely. However, once you understand that you're allowed to be a little selfish in this way, you won't have a problem with being alone. Try not to depend on anyone too much, as you are the only person you truly need to be happy.

It's not always easy to take the road less traveled, but it certainly takes you places where others have never been. Play your cards right, and you'll realize that everything that once seemed so far out of reach, is now at your fingertips.