Timelapse

I filmed my workout this morning in time lapse mode and couldn’t help but laugh when I looked at my hour of hard work and considerable effort reduced to a 30 second clip of something that looked fairly effortless. It made me think about how we often view other’s efforts in the same way.

We don’t often see the work and sacrifice it took for an individual to develop a skill or quality we admire. We assume our friend who is an amazing writer has always been. We don’t see her hours reading and studying, the numerous drafts that litter her floor, trying to get it just right.

Do we see other’s efforts the way we see a time lapse?

We see the brother or sister at church that seems to be so spiritual and wise and don’t see the time spent in prayer and thoughtful meditation and the hours of consistent study.

We see the mother who seems to be unceasingly patient but don’t see the daily effort of trying to be better, the failures, the tears, and the getting up and trying again.

No, we unfairly compare ourselves to another's hours, days months and years of consistent effort. Be kind to yourself. Stop the time-lapse comparisons and seek to understand the person you want to become. Give yourself the time, effort, failures and successes to be a better version of you.