Greatest lesson

Hello stemians

The Greatest Lesson

If asked of the greatest lesson I’ve learned in life so far, I would get the answer at my tips It came from my mother, and took me years to fully understand it, I can boldly say it is one truth that has shaped who I am today. She tells me, “Patience is stronger than strength.”

At first, those words sounded like ordinary advice parents give when they want you to calm down. I didn’t see why she repeated it so often, or why she said it with such seriousness, like she was handing me a key. To my young mind, strength was power being fast, smart, and ahead of everyone. Patience, on the other hand, looked like weakness. Or rather waste of time It felt like doing nothing.

But as I grew older, life began to interpret her words in ways I didn't need people to help out

When the Words Became Real

I still remember a day in secondary school. There was a competition I had prepared for with all my heart. I was sure of myself. I studied harder than ever, practiced I felt on top of everyone and walked into that hall with confidence. By the end, I was already picturing the applause, the prize, and the recognition.

But when the results came out, I was nowhere near the top. The shock hit me so hard I felt like crying right there. I told myself it was unfair, maybe it was impartial and I swore I would never bother again.

That evening, my mother noticed my mood. She sat beside me and, without raising her voice, said, “Life is not a sprint; it is a long-distance race. If you want to survive, you need patience more than speed. the words made me cry I thought she was mocking my condition

I can’t lie I didn’t like hearing that. I wanted her to say I was robbed, that I deserved better, that I should quit and forget it. But she didn’t. She simply reminded me of the very words I had ignored for years. That night, those words stuck deeper into me than never. I began to see
her words because it kept ringing in my memory patience wasn’t weakness it was endurance, it was strength in disguise.

How It Changed My Outlook

That moment opened my eyes. I started to notice how impatience had cost me so much in the past. I would give up too quickly on things, get angry when life didn’t go my way, i always wanted to go as i planned and compared myself to others who seemed to be moving faster. But now, I understood that strength was not in rushing it was in waiting without breaking, in enduring delays without losing focus it has shaped my perspective

It changed the way I treated challenges. I no longer rushed into decisions the way I used to. I also began to see people differently. Sometimes, those who looked slow were not actually behind they were simply waiting for the right season. That shift in perspective made me calmer, more thoughtful, and more willing to trust the process

The Hardest Lesson to Practice
I won't lie patience has never been easy for me I will say again it looked like a waste of time or that i wasn't doing well but It is one thing to know a lesson and another to live it. Waiting can feel like torture, especially when it looks like everyone around you is moving forward while you are stuck in one place.

For example, in my academic journey, there were moments when results did not come as expected. Sometimes I felt like I was falling behind my peers. Each time, I struggled to practice patience. My head would tell me to calm down, but my heart wanted to shout and give up. Honestly, it took many silent battles and even tears to keep reminding myself that patience was still the better path.

What I Would Tell My Younger Self

If I could meet my younger self right now, I would say: Don’t fear delays, they are not the end of your journey. A slow season is not a wasted season.

I would also tell that version of me not to confuse failure with finality. Some of the things I once thought were failures were just training grounds. They were lessons preparing me for something greater. If I had understood this earlier, I would have carried less frustration and more peace.

The Lesson I Want to Leave for Others

To my fellow steemians the one lesson I would like to leave you with is this: Patience is not weakness it is power wrapped in calmness. The world will always try to push you into rushing rushing your growth, rushing your success, even rushing your healing. But many mistakes are born out of haste, while many destinies are preserved by patience.

Be patient with yourself. Be patient with your dreams. Be patient with people. Life does not run on your clock, and that’s okay. You can work hard, give your best, and still learn to trust the timing of results. That is what patience truly means it’s not laziness, it’s controlled strength.

Till now, I still whisper my mother’s words to myself whenever impatience tries to creep in or whenever I find myself in difficult situations It’s not a lesson you master once and forget; it is a lesson you keep living, over and over again. And each time life tests me, I realize afresh that she was right all along: Patience is stronger than strength.

That, to me, is the greatest lesson I have ever received which has helped me through my struggling moments

Inviting @kwinberry @ukpono @peachyladiva