Many things in life are not linear. There may be a (long) incubation period before something — an idea or a skill — comes into fruition. Just as a new leaf develops for a while as a bud, before opening to reveal its form. 

Patience and the process 

In the human realm, this requires patience, fully immersing yourself in the activity, and above all, loving the process. For, even patience is really a symptom rather than a cause. It is easy to be patient when you are enjoying the thing for its own sake. Such that you are not distracted by the need for linear results. 

Mother nature does not need to do any of this. It is patient and fully immersed in the process by default. It is at one with itself and thereby the entirety of all existence, for there is no separation between the two! 

We, humans, with our sharp minds like to dissect and control everything. And, just because we find linear results in some (narrow) domains, we try to find it everywhere. Many things are not a straight line — many things in life are not linear. Just like our new leaf, things can gestate for a while before they crystalise into a recognisable form. So, it is important to not give up too early. 

Many things in life are not linear 

But, even this instruction is somewhat secondary. For, if you truly enjoy doing something and fully immerse yourself in it, it does not matter whether things are linear or not. Giving up will not even occur to you. You will be doing it anyway, and things will come into fruition when they do. All one needs is knowledge of what to do or how to practice, while remembering that things many things in life are not linear. 

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Harsha is a 1:1 coach and independent thinker based in London. He empowers people to find more clarity, confidence and focus in their lives — to cut through the noise, in a world so full of it. Harsha’s new book, Machine Ego: Tragedy of the Modern Mind, is now available in paperback and Kindle through Amazon.