Patience And The Long Game

I recently made a post on social media about the result of the 50-miler I raced the other weekend and how it blew my mind regarding the progress I have made since I started running ultramarathons exactly two years ago.

The post was partly a humblebrag but mostly a genuine realization of my evolution as an ultrarunner and an appreciation for the process.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of patience and consistency lately, and it shows up in almost every domain of my life where I find value. 

Whether it be the relative success and increase in running ability that I’ve experienced personally over these most recent years, the process of growing our garden and teaching our five-year-old daughter how to do it this year, or when it comes to saving for retirement and investing our discretionary income with the hopes of financial freedom sooner than what is traditional—all of these endeavors require patience and delayed gratification.

They all require a long-game approach.

The hard part is doing the work now, consistently, so that you can enjoy the rewards later. 

You can’t wake up tomorrow and decide to run 10 miles if you haven’t been running in years unless you want to risk hurting yourself. But a few miles each week, slowly increasing each week, will get you there in due time.

You can’t plant a seed today and harvest your fruit tomorrow—it doesn’t work that way. But a couple of months of watering and weeding, and sure enough, you’ll have your harvest.

You can’t invest all of your money today and wake up rich tomorrow, or at least you shouldn’t unless you want to risk losing it all as well. But you could implement an investment strategy that increases gradually and realizes the power of compounding interest over time.

Whether you spend five minutes or two hours a day, consistency is key. Always.

Start where you are, figure out the process you can adopt and commit to, and find ways to enjoy your journey towards whatever outcome excites you—even if you won’t achieve it immediately.

Saddle up for the long game and be patient. You’ll get there, or at least somewhere close to it.