Doing something well, achieving a goal, or conquering some challenge – it all takes time. It takes a personal level of commitment, hard work, and often some discomfort.
Even nature has to go through some discomfort to gain strength and grow. It struck me as I was touring in and around Lake Louise (Alberta, Canada) and I had stopped at a nature center. And honestly, I don’t know how I get into these discussions, but a forest ranger shared with me that there is this unique pine cone that sprouts (opens) after 80 years.
To let the seeds out of the pine cone, it takes the heat of a forest fire to open it. And, typically, they only have a forest fire once every 80ish years.
There is another tree, in British Columbia – the Whitebark Pine – that takes 60-80 years before it will produce its first pine cone – and 250 years before it will fully produce the cones.
It just struck me about how good things take time. Just think of the work the tree does over 250 years while it prepares to produce pine cones. Shows me just how impatient I am.
But we put in the time to develop ourselves, yes? How about these projects:
∙ Mastery of a musical instrument
∙ Fluency in a new language
∙ Establishing a successful career in a competitive field
∙ Developing a recognized reputation within an industry
∙ Writing an acclaimed novel (or just a novel, for that matter)
Or how about the people who spend their lifetime to discover a new medical treatment to cure cancer, or a new telescope to visit galaxies beyond our imagination, or conducting groundbreaking research in any scientific field.
Then there are others who challenge themselves to do something outside of their comfort zone for 100 days. I’ve read about folks practicing gratitude for 100 days, walking for 100 days, or committing to a new exercise routine for 100 days. But these two were unusual and very interesting. (Click the link to learn more):
I guess I’m just trying to encourage myself – and you in the process – of setting my sights a little higher. I need to remember that the best things take time, and practice makes me stronger (notice I didn’t say perfect).
We’ve got just under 90 days between now and January 1. That’s just enough time to tackle something new or revisit something old and carry ourselves into 2025 with ten days left to finish (and start the year off strong).