As a life coach, I have a lot of fun working with energetic, motivated individuals who want are ready to go for their goals and create the success that they've always desired. In helping people create strategies to achieve their goals, I must spend a lot of time with them creating realistic expectations of how quickly they can do what they want to do. It's not always the most enjoyable part of the process, but it is a very important one.

Unfortunately, everything today is about speed. How fast can things get done? How fast can we get what we want? How quickly can you sell, deliver, or create? You see it everywhere in our instant-everything environment: fast-food restaurants, one-hour photo stores, 10-minute oil change shops, etc. Modern society is incredibly impatient, especially when it comes to people enjoying the fruit of their own labor. Getting all that you ever wanted just isn't enough for some people unless in can happen instantly.... overnight... right away... right now!

I encourage each of you to relax. Take it easy. Take your time. Stop expecting instant results. Instead, jsut do what needs to be done and let Life take it's own course. Concentrate on planting seeds to success that will grow over time so that you can enjoy the process. So that you can learn along the way.

Sure, there will be times when you get immediate results. Most of the time you won't. Be patient, just because you're not getting instant results doesn't mean you won't get any. If you keep working towards your goals, if you maintain a sustained, consistent effort, you will get results.

Consider this analogy: You build a large, thousand-mile-long pipeline. You start pumping oil through it. Now, do you have oil coming out of the other end immediately? Of course not, you have to be patient and wait a while... You know that, eventually, the oil will reach the other end.

It's the same way with our personal success. We must work then be patient enough while our work creates the success we desire. By not forcing the timetable and pushing for results, we actually improve our chances for achieving our goals. By being patient we can enjoy the process of creating success, every step of the way.

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Jim Allen is a professional life coach, speaker, and writer. Get more great ideas in you email every week by subscribing to Jim's weekly newsletter, THE BIG IDEA, by sending a blank email to: mailto:Subscribe@CoachJim.com (©2001 Jim Allen & CoachJim.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)