I’d like to start by talking about a microwave. An awesome piece of technology that has penetrated many households the world over. The convenience it provides is evident to most people. Within a matter of minutes, you could have your favorite food ready for you to eat with little effort. Just like the microwave, many other facets of technology have taken a similar trajectory, to offer convenience in terms of reduced effort and minimal waiting time. While all this advancement has made our quality of life much better, I wonder what effect it has had on our subconscious view of patience.

As a newbie in software development and tech in general, the past year has been an exciting period of learning. There are so many things one could do, frontend, backend, wait, what is this thing called the cloud? What about IoT (Internet of Things)? —they all seem fun. For the longest time, all I would do was hop from one subject to another, juggling more than five tutorials simultaneously. And it was fun, as I had a burning desire to learn all this stuff, yet I never felt like I was moving or making any progress. After a few months of learning, I got stuck, more like stagnant—and overwhelmed by the decision paralysis over what to do. I realized that impatience was the reason for my predicament. I had bought into the lie that I could accelerate my learning and upskill by learning many things simultaneously. I would see other people in the community do amazing things, and I’d want to be like them, not realizing that it might have taken them a while to gain that level of skill.

I learned the hard way, that skill takes time to grow, it has to be nurtured over even years to become something meaningful. Well, I don't have years of experience, but dissecting my mentors' lives has led me to learn the truth that anything meaningful will take time.

What’s my point? Be patient. I know that this statement may sound cliché, but I have realized that some of the world’s principles are simple and mostly overlooked, and patience is no exception. So as you go about your day, remember to do as much as you can and leave the rest for tomorrow. I honestly think hard work is overrated, but consistency and the compounding effect it brings are underrated. Be patient and figure out a sustainable pace for you.