While my actions would say quite the opposite, I find myself struggling with being patient. It’s like I can’t wait for “it” to happen, yet I can’t even clearly articulate what “it” is. Don’t get me wrong, I have visions of what I want. I know what I want my life to look like, and what changes (internally) must be made so I can live as my most authentic self. But have I  really sketched out the long-term vision of my life? Not fully. There are things that I know that I want to have in my life, like four seasons, children, love and laughter, but can I describe my life 30 years from now? Not yet.

I’ve started this process many times. Got the great idea in a leadership or personal development book to really get clear on what I wanted my future to look like, and immediately took action describing it. Whether it was a vision board or filling in answers to questions in a hardcover book…I took action. However, I took action, describing my short-term future of the next 1-5 years. I took action, having only a fuzzy image of what I wanted my long-term future to look like.  Even worse, I took action having not studied myself long and hard enough to articulate my values. How could I create a future without knowing what I stood for and what values I embodied at my core so that I could live my truth?

I think the reason many people (experts included) skip the step of discovering our values is because it requires a shit ton of  hard work.  Plus we have to ask ourselves some really scary questions.  So now I find myself (after having answered the tough questions and crystallizing my values) moving slowly and cautiously though life, clinging to people and ideas that in my gut I know can only move me closer to the work that I have been called to do.

When did I get so structured? So regimented? Is this one of my strengths: taking action and committing? Yes.

But the more important question is: what is my long-term vision for my life?

Not only do I want to be inspired. I want to be an inspiration to others. Perhaps that’s where my little patience problem kicks in. Still unclear on this, but open to exploring.

One thing’s for sure…I’m relieved to know that inspiration and patience don’t have to be opposing forces. As I recently learned, when you inhale (inspire) you have to exhale (patience). So long as we take the baby steps and use our heart as our compass we’ll be well on our way… even if our patience could use a little work.