THE KEY IS "PATIENCE"
I’m currently in the Naruto Shippuden world when it comes to the main anime I’m watching and my favorite character of the show thus far is the shinobi Shikamaru.
I relate to Shikamaru the most. He’s very laid back. Easy going. He doesn’t care for the spotlight. He’s lazy but supremely talented and he loves solitude.
The reason I brought up Naruto Shippuden is because I came across a quote from Shikamaru. The quote was
“There’s no advantage to hurrying through life.”
That really stuck with me. I just kept saying it over and over in my mind. Time is everything. Everything is rush rush rush these days and instant gratification and you just need to slow down, take a breath, and just take your time. What’s the hurry? I started to think about patience.
Patience is the key. So many advantages come from patience. If you’re in a bad situation patience keeps you level headed and make the best decisions. Concentration is frequently practiced when you have patience. Concentration is an underrated art that got lost in this impatient society. You see what’s truly important in life through patience. Patience is a concept that a lot of people young and older can’t seem to grasp because of being obsessed with the short term.
I’m seeing 18-25 year olds acting so impatiently and it’s fucking up their mental. It’s usually their parents that are impatient and their parents are pushing their impatience on their them for being so patient and they confuse patience with being stagnant. They think their children are doing nothing when that is simply not true. They feel if it’s not making them money right away then it’s a waste of time. It’s how their generation was raised but all that does is throw the young adult off their game and think they have to hurry through life.
Their parents views are very narrow because they were raised in very narrow times around narrow minded people. They won’t ever admit that but it’s the truth. If you had a dream that wasn’t the norm in their era you were basically a witch. Especially for a woman. If you didn’t want to have 3 kids by 27 and be a housewife you were considered insane and unstable back then. Our parents didn’t take their time. They weren’t allowed to and didn’t have many options.
Times has definitely changed. We are literally living in the greatest era ever. You can literally make $30,000 from doing what you love while never leaving your house. There are so many options and you should be patient and explore the option that works for you.
Take your time. I think what’s happening is that adults in their 20’s see 30 is near and 30 is when it’s all over. I’m a living testimony baby. It ain’t over. No fucking lie. I feel better at 31 than I was at 21. Better in all phases I’m talking spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally. 30 is not what I thought it would feel like when I was 20. I'm stronger in every aspect.
I just want all of you to practice patience.
It’s not bad to have urgency just make it work in harmony with patience. If you see a opportunity go for it. If you don’t see one just keep grinding and when the best move presents itself for you to make, you make that move. It really is chess. Don’t let anyone dictate what you need to have or shame you for staying the course on your vision.
You don’t need a house by a certain age. Fuck a house. I’m a former homeowner. It’s not what it’s cracked up to be. If you don’t have kids or big ass dogs stay the fuck away from buying a house. There’s no point even if you can afford it. That’s just my opinion from my experience. Get the nice apartment, go practice patience, save money, travel, do whatever you love.
To the high school kids reading this. If you don’t want to go to college. Don’t go. Don’t let anyone rush you. Be patient. You don’t need to get loans to have a degree in art. Go open up youtube, watch tutorials, go practice, get great, learn how to run a business, own your shit, and live loan free.
Education is FUCKED in this country. Completely FUCKED. It’s a hustle. Don’t let no one tell you different. Practice patience and do what works best for YOU. Not your parents. Not your siblings. Not your Aunt. YOU! If you wanna go to school then go. If not, then don’t.
You’re not where you want to be in whatever you’re pursuing. That’s okay. A million others are just like you. Just go to the drawing board and try to figure out where you think you’re going wrong. You have to be honest with yourself though! Be real. You gotta ask yourself “Am I talking or Am I working? Just patiently break down how you spend your time everyday hour by hour and figure out ways you can audit your time better and in a way that can help you prosper.
You may be doing everything right and that breakthrough just hasn’t came yet. If that’s the case then I got 2 things that will help you. They’re really simple and people tend to overlook them a lot. You ready? Okay.
Hard Work
Practice
When you feel you’re doing everything right and nothing is changing just crank up your output a little bit more. Work even harder. If you’re in the gym and the pounds was just falling off easily at first but now you can barely lose a pound that means your body has gotten used to the workouts. It’s time to shock the body. Incorporate more weight in your weight lifting. Run a mile or 2 more even if it hurts. It’s the same way outside the gym. Take away an hour or two from something and put it towards what you’re striving for. Shock your routine. I don’t care where you get the hour from. It can be from your 9-5 job, sleep, whatever put it towards your dream and just have patience through it all.
I keep stressing this to people over and over again who ask me for advice. I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again. There are people in St.Louis who can write better than me. They’re wittier than me. They’re smarter than me. They have more connections than me. They have a way better website design and layout than me. Yet my name is above theirs in the streets. I’ll tell you why ...
THEY CAN’T OUTWORK ME! …. THEY CAN’T OUTWORK ME!
I’m a say it one more time.
THEY CAN’T OUTWORK ME!
Period. I’m talented but I think my work ethic exceeds my talent just a lil bit. Not by much. I don’t rush. I just stay in my lane. Stay patient and I just keep writing and writing.
I didn’t wanna go this long but I gotta tell you this example of extreme patience and discipline.
Bernard Hopkins is one of the greatest boxers that ever lived. He lost his first pro fight. He didn’t panic. He went back to the drawing board. He worked harder. Learned the basics. Put the hours in so he could master them. He won his next 20 fights after that loss. He stayed patient and got his first title shot and won a belt. Lost to Roy Jones Jr 2 fights later. Bernard didn’t panic he stayed patient. Got the belt he lost to Roy 6 fights later and won his next 21 fights. He was patient. He stayed the course. Continued to work hard and he got what he worked for.
Bernard fought until he was 51 years old. How did he do that in such a dangerous sport? Discipline. He ate healthy, he hasn't had fast food in 20 years. He doesn’t drink or do any drugs. After his fights he won even if he was untouched he didn’t go to clubs after his fights or before his fights. He used that time to soak and heal his body in hot tubs to prepare for future fights. Roy Jones Jr was WAY more talented than Bernard and didn’t last as long.
Bernard wasn’t the fastest or most powerful but he lasted almost 3 decades. He understood patience and it how it leads to longevity. If you have the same mentality I promise you’ll live a life you want.
Keep practicing too. You may not be the best dancer right now. Cool. Get up and practice. Put the hours in. Act like you want to be great. Study the greats. Practice the mental side just as much as the physical. Now will you be great? Who knows. I can practice basketball the rate Kobe did and I still won’t make the NBA. It’s life. You gotta find out what you’re good at. You have to look at both sides of this. That’s the negative to hard work and practicing. You could be practicing and working hard on the wrong things. I just want you to keep that in mind.
There’s this unnecessary pressure that people put on themselves to achieve these goals by a certain time frame and then when that time frame comes and they didn’t achieve what they wanted they get discouraged. It’s all because they didn’t have patience and they underestimated the journey. You need to be focusing on longevity, not short term shit. Patience will help you understand that tremendously.
I don’t know how to end this so I’ll end it the way I came in and that’s with a Shikamaru quote and his simple, patient, longevity thinking.
"Someday, I just want to marry a regular girl who isn't too ugly and not too pretty. Have two children, first a girl, then a boy. Retire after my daughter is married and my son becomes a successful ninja, and spend the rest of my life playing shōgi or go. Then die of old age before my wife.”
Shikamaru was a real one.
