How long will this take

When I attended a training last summer with the incredible Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, she shared that her classic book Women Who Run with the Wolves was written slowly over twenty years time and received forty-two rejections from publishing companies. 

I loved hearing this and I now share this with my clients who are writers and artists or with clients who are trying to "birth" a big change—not because I think they need twenty years, but because it can be comforting. And because these folks often have a lot of questions about timing. 

How long will this take? 
What if it doesn't work and I've spent all this time on it?
How will I know when it's ready?

I get it. I've asked these same questions.

And I usually share that I don't know how it will be for them, but I've tried harassing myself into working faster or harder and it always backfires. So now I try to remember that I can trust my timing and focus, even when it feels painfully slow or like I've lost the thread. And when I trust myself, I step out of false urgency and self-judgement. I connect dots that seemed unconnected and I wanna keep showing up for my work. I'm following my longings, and this is always fruitful. And, yes, sometimes a big break-though or download happens all at once—we can definitely stay open to this, but we don't demand it.  

This way of operating goes against everything in our speedy culture, so I love hearing examples of so-called "late bloomers" and stories about the depth of attention and time needed to bring something new forward. 

Here's what Dr. Estés says about her writing process (and this is how she also recommends readers approach her book as well): "Most read Women Who Run With the Wolves the way it was written. A little at a time, then go away, dream, see, listen, let heart, mind, body, soul, spirit think about "the matters that matter to you," then come back again, trotting forward over the beautiful vast and wild terrain of your own psyche, making the substance of your own precious life, visible and blessed by the wild self." (Full essay here.)

What do you think? Are you a late bloomer or are you creating a slow-motion miracle?

With care,
Brianna

photo by @stasostrikov