Recently, a long-time friend and colleague wrote me an e-mail. “Patience, grasshopper!” she said, referring to a project we were working on together. I had to laugh because I was in full-blown get-it-done mode. She knows me too well. Waiting settles in my chest like the start of a bad cold threatening to turn into a full-blown entrepreneurial anxiety attack.

I thought about her comment again days later when something unplanned happened. For weeks, I’d been planning to share some exciting news about a big project I’ve been working on. While the specific share date had been decided in June, I’d been gearing up for launch day since April, the day I first dreamed up the idea. I’d spent dozens of hours—probably nearing a hundred or more—dreaming, planning, and coordinating. I had assembled a world-class team. We’d met multiple times to organize this incredible project, getting everything just so.

And then, less than twenty-four hours before I was about to share, came the wrench.

It’s not an unfixable wrench. It’s not even a big-deal wrench. But it’s a wrench. A delay-the-thing-I’ve-been-so-excited-to-share wrench. A have-patience-when-it-doesn’t-come-naturally wrench.

The thing I’m learning about big ideas is they take time, vision, and—yes—patience.

Last week, I got on the phone with one of the people working on this project with me. I told him all about the wrench. He talked through several of the points with me, and then paused for a moment before speaking.

“You need to step back,” he said. “Take time away and let yourself reimagine this thing in a new way. Slow down, think through it, and don’t rush to find a solution right away.”

Huh. Slow down, think, don’t rush. Have patience.

So that’s what I’m doing. I’m channeling my inner kung fu, listening to the wise people I’m working with on this project, and stepping back to reimagine what can be.

Where in your life could you stand to have more patience? What projects or ideas could benefit from letting go of the past and reimagining what could be? Where do you need to slow down, think through things, and not rush to find an immediate solution?

Since that discussion with my colleague, I’ve forced myself to temporarily disconnect from the issue. I’ve taken walks. I’ve played with my kids. I’ve let my mind naturally find its way to a new vision. And you know what? I’m even more excited about what this project has become. I can’t wait to share it with you—though I’m trying to have patience.

Here’s to a lovely and patience-filled week.

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[Image courtesy pixabay Creative Commons]