Patience
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Set goals for three-month periods, then pick a new goal once reached; be patient to build foundations that yield compound results over time.
Building good foundations now leads to compound results over time.
- This advice is framed for those who are young and have time.
one person who lived it
Play the long game by recognizing that your position in five years is the result of actions taken today.
Reactions to actions are separated over time.
one person who lived it
Park further away and walk the short distance instead of waiting for a closer spot.
Waiting can take longer than walking.
one person who lived it
Allow yourself time to change your way of thinking, recognizing that you cannot expect to shift in one day.
Shifting your way of thinking requires time.
one person who lived it
Approach self-help as a marathon rather than a sprint.
It requires enduring the grind over time.
one person who lived it
- Keep working on yourself and learn from mistakes without expecting results in a week, month, or year.1
- Approach self-improvement as a slow, steady process that requires ongoing work.1
Persist with self-improvement efforts even if you see no immediate results, as changes may take time to become visible.
One person reported that it took 7-8 months before they noticed a significant change in themselves.
one person who lived it
If you are pretending to be patient, have nonsensical conversations with yourself in your head.
It makes time go faster.
one person who lived it
Start slow and avoid radical changes to prevent complete failure and returning to old ways.
Radical attempts often lead to failing completely and backsliding; starting too fast backfires.
2 people, independently
Base your personal happiness on the act of trying rather than on succeeding.
one person who lived it
6 more on this
If you struggle with attitude shifts, seek external structure to force action while waiting for the change to take hold.
one person who lived it
Remind yourself that time will pass anyway, so it is okay if progress takes time.
one person who lived it
Allow growth of the mind and spirit to happen over time rather than trying to improve your personality through artifice.
one person who lived it
Take up long-term projects, like building a custom motorcycle, which inherently require time and eliminate the possibility of instant gratification.
Such processes make instant gratification impossible.
one person who lived it
Accept that change happens naturally rather than forcing it on a specific timeline.
one person who lived it
Let thoughts incubate before making permanent decisions, especially for creative pursuits.
one person who lived it