Yesterday, during an incredibly rapturous spin class at a boutique studio that is way too expensive for me (enter stage left a growing sense of imposter syndrome each time I drive into its fancy schmancy neighborhood), my instructor imbued me with a remarkably profound--at least for my rather insufficient brain--bit of intelligence. She spoke about a person's will to keep going--to continue to march on when the goal in mind seems far off in the distance, when the prize at the finish line seems completely out of sight, when the impossibly cynical spectator of your life elbows you in the ribs and dubiously asks you, "how much longer are you going to keep this up?" Your answer can, and confidently should, always be, "as long as it takes."
Q: "How long are you going to continue to wait for a partner before you finally decide to drop your standards?"
A: "As long as it takes."
Q: "How long are you going to continue to try posting content on the internet without a viral video?"
A: "As long as it takes."
Q: "How long are you going to stay on this path to your dreams before you realize they're unattainable?"
A: "As long as it takes."
Q: "How long are you and your partner going to keep trying for children? Maybe you not conceiving after so much trying is a sign."
A: "As long as it takes."
Now, if you're reading this with a snort and the thought that some things deserve to be given up or that life doesn't--and maybe isn't even meant to--always work out the way you plan for, I'm not here to argue with you. You might just be a realist. I, too, share at least a portion of that sentiment. I guess the message is more-so for those people with the edge to have faith. Faith isn't for everyone, and it's not always easy (the point). And for those with an even smaller brain than my own reading the word "faith" and believing that I MUST be talking about some invisible angel in the clouds, faith can be had by all people, even you die-hard atheists (this is not a declaration of my own atheism, by the way. I'll lose some people here (yay!), but I am definitively a Christian). I would also like to state my opinion that those of you who ask people questions such as the above, you suck. Honestly, how dare you impart your cynicism on an individual who is trying. But, alas, it is a waste of breath because y'all will always do what you do, and continue to suck forever. So, thanks, I guess, for making the phrase "as long as it takes" matter so much.
"As long as it takes," might not be the phrase for you if faith isn't a skill of yours, but it's not lost on me the power of faith--even in ones self--can be; and, how an inch in the direction of faith could be a substantial game-changer in the world of You. So, if you've got the gall to abandon even an ounce of your cynicism and jump ship to the tiny Tender Boat of Faith (that may or may not make it to shore in the storm of life) you might just be rewarded more heavily than those who choose to stay on the Cruise Ship of Contempt in the middle of the wild and raging waters.
So thank you, Kenzie, for enlightening me with those words when my body was on an endorphin high. I knew the five-hundred dollars I paid--in faith, btw--to workout at your studio for the next three months--would ultimately make my life better (and not just for the inflated glute muscles and tightened core). There is no place I'd rather spend my Monday nights. Or my Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday mornings.
How long will I, as an imposter, continue to drive into a neighborhood I currently cannot afford, making friends with people outside of my tax bracket, and hoping that someday I might actually fit? Well, my possibly non-existent internet friends, as long is it takes.