Patience

The day has finally arrived. I took Juliet, my 11 year old daughter, to the Orthodontist to get her braces put on her teeth this morning. From the time her perfect little baby teeth were all still firmly in place, we knew this day was coming. X-rays showed problems that were completely hidden to us. As the baby teeth fell out, the adult teeth became showing up in all the wrong places. In the back of her mouth she simply does not have the space to fit all the teeth that are there, let alone the ones that still have yet to arrive. And then in the front she has space between each tooth. As much as we wanted her teeth fixed, we had to wait until certain teeth fell out. And now the braces are on the teeth, but the gaps she so anxiously wants to see closed will not be fixed first. The first step is to make the teeth straight and then they can focus on making things look nice cosmetically. This process can take anywhere from 3-5 years.

Patience.

As I was driving home I started thinking about patience for my organizing clients. As a result of not only their own despair about their situations, but also television shows that can completely transform spaces in under an hour, my clients want their jobs done FAST. Although I do pride myself in fast results, what I am truly more interested in is results that last. Much like the orthodontist, the cosmetic issues are often not the aspect that needs the most attention. The foundation; the broken systems, bad habits, and low self esteem often have to get corrected first. The beauty of my job as a professional organizer is that I get to help others fix their foundation while beautifying their space, but it takes patience.

How do you combat impatience? The most important words of wisdom and experience I can share with you is to enjoy the process. Celebrate each step of the way with gratitude and pride. Simply stated, just enjoy the journey.


“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau quotes