Patience is the hardest skill and virtue to master. Two years of consistent, deliberate effort beats two months of obsessive tracking.

The visible progress you’re hoping for usually comes slower than you’d like, explains James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. Even with consistent effort it can take a long time before progress feels significant. It might be a year of writing and editing before the book really starts to come together.

You may need two years of recovery from a major injury before you notice just how far you’ve come. It may take two or more years of yoga before you realize how flexible, strong and balanced you have become.

Take a deep breath, stop worrying about immediate results, and settle into a nice routine and enjoying life daily.

Furthermore, your first attempt might not be very good, but nobody’s early work is good. There will always be a gap between where you are and where you want to be. And the bridge between that gap is courage. The courage to look foolish in the beginning.

The courage to show up again when your early work is criticized. The courage to look yourself in the mirror and say, “I realize I’m not good enough yet, but the only way to get better is to keep working on it.”