Scratch The Itch

The path to such success is punctuated by failure

Meaningful achievement takes time, hard work, persistence, patience …

This was written in the context of training in an artificial setting, a gym, where we see the full spectrum of human behavior. Sometimes, after having written and spoken and taught and lived these ideas and words for so long, I believe everyone is familiar with them, perhaps tired of hearing or reading them, and wondering why they continue to be shared. But then I read the word, “conditioned”, and realize a lot of people might never have heard or considered the concepts. I see, “persistence”, and “patience”, “constant self-awareness”, and “hard, intelligent work”, which are words I’ve never read in any marketing or advertising, or heard via any so-called influencer’s social media so I realize again that damn, these may well be foreign concepts. So I guess I’ll put it out there one more time.

Modern man is conditioned to expect instant gratification but any success or triumph realized quickly, with only marginal effort is necessarily shallow. Meaningful achievement takes time, hard work, persistence, patience, proper intent and constant self-awareness. The path to such success is punctuated by failure, consolidation and renewed effort. It is wet with the tears of disappointment and emotional breakdown.

Personal reconstruction is art. Discovering one’s self, one’s talent and ambition and learning how to express it is a creative process so may not be rushed. What’s the hurry? Pressure to succeed according to a particular timeline comes from outside. If the goal is selfish self-improvement there is no schedule, no deadline. One’s rate of progress is influenced by the intensity used to address the task. The stability of that outcome is influenced by the time (and volume) required to achieve it; rush and it won’t last.

While it is true that hard, intelligent work speeds us along the path, patient and intelligent work ensures a long journey that bears consistent, seasonally-appropriate fruit. Neurotic obsession and compulsion may steepen the trajectory but usually lead to illness and injury. In the end, the process takes as long as it takes — you can’t push the river. So if you aren’t in it for the long haul, I hope the fickle and unpredictable results you manage to produce quickly satisfy whatever itch you are trying to scratch.