Progress Is Never Quick & Seems Painstakingly Slow

Progress is never quick, often seeming as if it takes a lifetime. An unfortunate consequence is that all too often we try to get involved ourselves and cut corners where we think we can get away with it. The problem with that is we end up with a broken end-result, be it with friends, at school, with family, with money, whatever. Whatever is worth doing is worth doing right. Right doesn't always mean slow, but it means deliberate. We have to do it the correct way. It is easy to get discouraged; it is easy to want to give up; it is easy to want to just quit. But we can't. Not in life, not in anything. Progress is hard, nothing worth doing in life is easy but it is possible. We have to remember and remind ourselves that we can't change overnight, not to mean that we should just go slow or do whatever or do things this day or that. We have to be disciplined, but we have to keep in mind that the strict rigor we are holding ourselves to won't take effect immediately. We will have to wait time to see the results. Just like going to the gym, you would never go to the gym for a day and except to lose 25lb. No, you're going to have to do some cardio and probably some lifting too. It's going to take time to work that weight off and then tighten and tone. 

Look at your mind just like an exercising body, right now it is "overweight" with anxiety, stress and preconceived notions above others. In order to get yourself in shape you are first going to have to shed those outer pounds and then focus on your core strength. You are going to have to unlearn bad habits and learn new better and healthier ones. After trimming the fat you can then start to work on toning you and who you are and focusing on true growth. It takes time and progress will be slow, but don't be discouraged. The snail moves slower than most creatures, but it never bothers him. He seems to get to where he is going on his own time table. Maybe we could learn a thing or two from him, like how life is worth taking slow. We will only have one today, shouldn't we try to enjoy and value every moment we can or at least try to get the best out of every moment we can? Even the bad ones? Keep working though, use those around you who support you for Joy and strength, Don't give up, never give up on your personal Joy no matter what happens. Your personal Joy is yours and yours alone. Be mindful and pay attention to the now, live in the today. Live in the here and now.