“You always overestimate what you can do in a year and underestimate what you can do in a lifetime”

“You always overestimate what you can do in a year and underestimate what you can do in a lifetime”

Not sure who that quote is from but I have heard it many times and each time I hear it, it rings so true. I have chosen it as a theme as it seems that many people who are working hard to create the change they want in their lives are beginning to find themselves in a bit of a log jam wishing the whole thing would just move faster.

Speed is something that we are aware of in our society, the quicker you can do something the better. But often it is useful to have things develop at a slower pace so that your ideas can mature and grow into something even bigger, with more impact, than it started out with.

We get enthused with a new project and want to get it going fast and that is all well and good, but to do something well we need to do it well, if you know what I mean. I am constantly reminding myself to be in the moment and trust that whatever is happening is exactly as it should be. I take action, do the best I can in the moment, and trust that the outcome is all part of the plan; even if it is not the outcome I had set my sights on. And, I remind myself that often when I am seemingly frustratingly, annoyingly, delayed something happens that make the whole project even better than it would have been had I pushed it through. People turn up that can add to the idea, resources appear from places I wouldn’t have thought of and by having my idea tested I have refined it into a much better proposition.

Talk to Business Consultants and many will tell you that many businesses have problems in the beginning because they are trying to do too much in the early days. It is the same with all areas of life. We need to be realistic about our goals, especially if we are taking on a new project. In our excitement about a new idea we often can see the end goal but forget there are some other very important goals in between. If we don’t identify and plan for these then it begins to feel like things are getting delayed and we become frustrated.

Have you overestimated what you can achieve in one year? Is the feedback you are getting (and remember there is only ever feedback, never failure) telling you that you are trying to put on the roof before you have put down the foundations? Are you so excited by your dream that you are getting frustrated with the seeming lack of progress?

The biggest gift you can give to yourself is to realise that the timing of a project or goal is more often than not totally in your control. It is like we have set the ball rolling and now we need to be of service to that goal. Responding to its needs, nurturing it and taking action wherever necessary, but, at the same time, taking our own agenda out of the picture and trusting that if we are truly following our heart, our passions, then it will happen. I have been practising this over the last couple of months and although I have not yet totally mastered it (not by a long chalk!) I have found that when I can see my projects through this lens I am able to step back and see what is the best next step. Interestingly what I have found is that when I do this then things do actually begin to move.

So if you recognise yourself in this, if you feel like your plans are delayed, take a step back and survey your life from an outsider’s point of view. What might that outsider see and suggest? How can you shift your timeline to make it an achievable one? Is what you are doing more of a long term goal - very achievable but just needing more time and space to evolve? If so, revise your timelines and see if you’ve missed out some important steps that need to happen along the way. A successful person is one who masters flexibility and instead of pushing against what is happening learns to adapt to what is coming towards them and use the energy inherent in that to really achieve the big goals in the future.