The Traffic Jam

“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow – that is patience. The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

Leo Tolstoy

Heads up… I am going on a bit of a rant here but stick with me… I do get to my point eventually.

I live in West Kelowna. Now, if you know the Okanagan, we have a bridge connecting Kelowna and West Kelowna. That bridge takes on a lot of traffic, especially during our tourist season. Everyone blames our traffic problems on that bridge, but the problem is not with the bridge.

First off, one source of the bridge traffic is downtown Kelowna – it doesn’t matter how fast you get across the bridge if you stop at 5 red lights within 5 city blocks. It’s not rocket science as to why traffic is so bad.

But I digress…

The other source of the traffic problem is impatience. Now hear me out… There is a way to get around the bulk of the traffic going from West Kelowna to Kelowna. You can exit about 2 km before you get to the bridge and then merge back onto the highway right at the mouth of the bridge. Saves time, right?

WRONG

I have tested this theory twice. I picked a recognizable vehicle that I separated from at the exit, and both times, I beat the vehicle to the bridge. When I stayed on the highway, the vehicle that took the exit and merge route was still waiting to merge while I was clearing the bridge. I was faster.

What’s my point, you ask? I stayed in my lane, and I got to my destination faster. While sitting in that traffic this morning, I realized that this is something I have been learning in life. Stay the course and practice patience in the process.

All the important things I have in my life have taken time to build and strengthen. A great relationship takes time. A successful business takes time. A healthy body takes time. And none of those things will be accomplished faster by taking the exit and trying to merge back on later.

There is no pill you can take to get healthy faster. There is no get-rich-quick scheme that will get you to retirement more quickly. And no secret route will get you to your destination faster. If you keep on course, work hard, focus, and be wise, it’s all right in front of you.

Stay in your lane, my friends. You will get there.