Progress is a very underrated thing. It is only valuable to the people that are actually doing the progress themselves, to others it doesn’t mean much. Just like flowers, nobody looks at the seeds, or the leaves, nor the roots. We just want to see the flowers. Until the flower blooms, nobody cares.

In a world that is filled with instant gratification, not many people are patient enough to see through progress. Progression is needed for things that are worthwhile, things that matter. Effort and time are needed for the seed to sprout, grow and bloom. You don’t just get healthier and transform your physique in a day merely by wishing. To be good in any craft also requires much dedication and practice. We become so adept at looking at the starting and ending point of people we admire, we totally miss what happens in the middle.

It is understandable. Life is finite. Each day spent waiting is one day less, and there is so much to accomplish. Then again, we choose the easy things to do with our lives. Watching TV, playing video games, hanging out and chit-chatting, drinking, eating…nothing much is accomplished too as the days slip by. At least nothing much is accomplished towards our desired lifestyle, the freedom of living life the way we want it. This perfect vision of our desired lifestyle is difficult to achieve because it requires progression. It requires us to learn, grow and apply. These experiences sometimes take years. Then again the reward might not be there at the end of the day. It feels like too long, too difficult, almost impossible.

The solution is deceptively simple though. Drop the desires and the projection about the future. It does nothing but deters you most of the time. When you drop the desires and expectations of the future, you can live the way you want right this moment. When you are living the way you want without any expectations, you have already arrived and you can then allow your life to flow naturally. You will become who you ought to be. Years of progression and growth will be a by-product of who you already are. There is no need to wait for it to arrive somewhere in the future.

With freedom comes responsibilities though. Like all things in life, everything that we do or do not do has a cause and effect. If you are brave enough to accept the consequences of being yourself, you can be, and do anything you want right now.