Lately, with all the technological advances we have seen and the speed at which information travels—especially on social media—we have forgotten what truly matters to us.
For example, in the past—and I am not talking about a hundred years ago—we waited at least a week to watch the next episode of our favorite series. We lived with that uncertainty, drew our own conclusions, and checked them a week later; we eagerly looked forward to the next episode and had a reward to look forward to in the longer term. Back then, being patient was a necessity.
Now we can stay glued to the screen for an entire night until we finish a series that once would have taken us months. When it is over, left with nostalgia and the unsatisfying feeling of not knowing what to do, we turn to YouTube and let the algorithm guide us. And the cycle repeats. Now we only want instant rewards, and if we do not get them, we look for something else to distract us that will provide one.
We run out of patience, forget the satisfaction of looking forward to something, and lose touch with the real energy that emotion gives us, the energy that sustains us over time. We forget what truly comforts us and let ourselves be carried along by what others—the media—think will.
Although it may seem that things are harder for us now, that is not the case. Now we have the freedom to choose, to set our own pace. Patience is no longer a necessity; it is an option. Now we are in control. We can decide how to invest our time; we are free to watch a couple of episodes of our favorite series and invest the rest of our time in ourselves or in an activity that makes us better than we were yesterday. We are free to grow at the pace we choose, rather than at the level others want for us. What are you waiting for? Will you decide the pace at which you want to live, or sit back and wait for others to decide for you?
“Sometimes it is the smallest decisions that can change your life.”
Keri Russel