I’ve been thinking a lot about patience lately.
Not just the kind that gets us through long lines or slow traffic, but the patience we extend to people – the kind that makes them feel truly seen, the kind that tells them they don’t have to rush to prove their worth.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been reflecting on my own journey. I know what it’s like to move through the world feeling like you always have to keep up, like you need to be quick, sharp, and always in control. And I also know what it feels like when someone looks at you – not through you, not past you, but at you – and says, “It’s okay. You don’t have to rush.” Those moments stay with you. They make you breathe a little easier. They remind you that you don’t have to race to matter.
I think we forget how much people need that. We assume that if someone isn’t speaking up, they’re fine. If they’re delivering results, they don’t need encouragement. If they’re quiet, they don’t need to be heard. But the truth is, most people are carrying more than they show. And sometimes, what they need isn’t advice or pressure or urgency. Sometimes, they just need to know that someone notices them, that they don’t have to rush their thoughts, that they don’t have to have it all figured out right now.
The best leaders I’ve known weren’t the ones who pushed the hardest. They were the ones who created space. They saw beyond performance and potential. They saw people. And because they saw people, those people grew.
I try to remind myself of that when I catch myself getting impatient – with others, with myself, with life. We’re so conditioned to expect quick results, to want instant clarity, to demand fast progress. But the best things don’t happen that way.
Growth takes time. Confidence takes time. Healing takes time. Becoming who you’re meant to be takes time.
So if no one has said it to you lately: You’re seen. You’re enough.
And if you have the chance to say it to someone else, do. It might be exactly what they need to hear.