Wow! It’s hard to believe that the “Wise Sayings” series is about to wrap up. This realization is definitely confirming the fact that time stands still for no one; and more and more, I’m feeling the effects of a sped-up existence. Everything is rush this and rush that. And, no matter the amount of effort put into creating products, processes, and systems that are convenience-made and efficient and time-saving engineered, time can never be recovered once it’s spent. Knowing this absolute makes me even more determined to appreciate the life that I live and to understand that I don’t possess a written contract with a particular deadline for my timeline in this world. So, I’d better make the most of this precious commodity that I continue to receive.
This time factor makes me recall a statement that I heard a creative entrepreneur YouTuber quote about a week or so ago. This gentleman was giving a presentation at the 2019 PODFEST conference and was speaking on the subject of being a content creator on YouTube. I didn’t catch what he said the first time; but after putting the video on replay, I caught this wise saying that stuck with me and will grace us with its presence as Wise Saying #6. He said, “The phrase ‘ROI’ is the only time that return comes before investment”. I have no idea if this genius quote was his own or borrowed from someone else. It doesn’t really matter who the originator is or even if the originator buys into his or her own rhetoric. My focus is on what I heard with my own ears, how I comprehended it, and what I plan to do with it.
Now, patience is one of those virtues that I continuously struggle with. Some of this tendency of impatience is probably just part of my nature or should I say human nature, in general, (which I realize needs some tweaking here and there). However, I also reserve the right to somewhat blame society’s subliminal messaging for my struggle in this area. After all, our fast-paced society has become pretty astute in bombarding us all with an overwhelming amount of information from the “gimme-right-now” campaign. With all of that being said in today’s confession session, I still realize that I have to work hard for what I truly value in life and, sometimes, that means I have to put a lot in before I can receive anything in return. This concept is nothing new to me. I’ve always had to work hard in life in order to see results (most people do), and I don’t foresee this changing anytime in the future. However, the struggle tends to be in the “waiting” arena.
Wait (no pun intended)… but, there’s hope. Isn’t it true that anything worth having is worth waiting for even if it means you have to make sacrifices up front (in time, energy/effort, finances, sleep, recreational fun, etc.), before you ever see any positive return on your investment? Yes, this has been my experience and I’ll humbly accept it every time. There’s no character development gained when everything comes easy to you and you feel entitled to receive the best in life without putting in the work to truly earn it. Can you imagine a society like that? For some, it probably sounds like a utopia. The news has plenty of examples of people who live in this type of alternate reality, where receiving benefits in life without doing so by merit is expected. And, how dare you tell them they’re wrong for expecting everything without putting in anything. To me, this virtual reality feels a lot like a world void of reality. I’m glad I can always go back to the mantra used in my household: FIRST, WORK HARD; THEN, PLAY LATER!
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