I am not the most patient person in the world. (Everyone who knows me just snorted and said, "Ya think?") But it's occurred to me that patience may be the single most important virtue in getting your life where you want it to be.

Learning a new skill takes time. You try, fail, repeat, until you don't fail anymore. Then you keep practicing.

Saving money takes time, putting a bit away on a regular basis.

Losing weight takes time. A typical healthy weight loss is 2 pounds or less a week.

Getting into shape takes time as muscles build slowly and dexterity increases.

Sorting clutter takes time — almost as much time as it took to collect it all.

Using up all the extra in your house will take time as well. I have a bag of partial containers of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face creams, etc. I'm making a concerted effort to use them up, but it will take time.

Even slow progress is progress.

patience, Elf.