Things Take Time

Rebecca Skloot is the author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It took ten years of devotion to get the book written and published. Ten years! I heard her speak Wednesday at The NY Society for Ethical Culture.

She remarked that during those ten years she would be questioned as to why she was spending so much time with one project. She would read the papers and see the timeliness of her material often. She would wonder if it would still be timely when it was published. Once the book was in contract, it went through three publishing houses and four editors.

There were a lot of roadblocks but Rebecca Skloot did not let any of them stop her. She was passionate about the story she was uncovering, she practiced patience and kept working. She didn't try to rush the birth of her book before its time. She believed in herself and the importance of her work.

Her book was published on February 2, 2010. It debuted at #5 on the New York Times Bestseller list on February 21. O Magazine bought the first serial rights and Barnes and Noble has made it a Spring 2010 pick for Discover Great New Writers. It's subject is more timely than ever.

Good thing she gave herself the time. For the book and for us.

Patience Is A Practice

My cousin used to say that patience was a virtue and neither of us were genetically predisposed to it. It's true. I come from a long line of impatience I've inherited through my mother's side of the family.

Reinvention requires patience. Things can happen much slower than you'd like. Whether you are starting a new business, trying to get a book published or looking for your next great success. Impatience just makes whatever you are working to create take that much more time to manifest. It's a sign of fear. If you have faith in your work patience requires less effort.

Some days it is easy. But since its not in my genes, there can be days like Monday.

I stood on the subway platform wondering why not one of the four trains that ran on those tracks was showing up. I felt my impatience rise up inside and start to take over my body like some alien being. I tapped my foot. I looked at my watch. I took out my iPhone just to make sure it said the same time as my watch. I let out a sigh. As if any of my actions was going to make that train show up any quicker.

Tuesday the monster was not quite done with me. This time I was waiting for an elevator on the way to a seminar.

I caught myself each time. I remembered how my days in Corporate America were filled with appearances from my impatience monster. All those things I couldn't control, thinking my fury was going to make things happen any faster.

It didn't. Things show up when they are supposed to. The subway did . So did the elevator. I knew that. I just forgot. I couldn't control when the subway or the elevator came so I let the impatience monster have its way with me. I forgot that the one thing I can control is me.

Patience. It's a virtue I am learning to own.