I thought nothing was changing. I was wrong.

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Happy Sunday & thank you for opening this week’s #TheLifeofJLOWE newsletter! Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there reading today too!

This week, I’ve been thinking about how slow real change can feel. We often expect progress to look like a straight line — quick, measurable, and satisfying. But most of the time, it’s a slow climb. Barely visible. Quiet. Even frustrating.

And yet, that doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

The Illusion of Quick Change

We live in a world that rewards speed — fast money, instant results, same-day delivery. If you can’t see something change immediately, you start to question whether it’s working at all.

But the truth is: most meaningful change happens in silence.

• The entrepreneur grinding for 3 years before their business catches fire.

• The person working out 4x a week for 8 months before seeing visible abs.

• The writer showing up every day writing a book that feels impossible to finish.

We love overnight success stories, but we rarely look at the months — sometimes years — of effort that came before the “big break.”

And I’ll be honest: I’ve fallen into that trap too. Expecting quick results. Getting discouraged when I don’t see them. Wondering if I’m even moving in the right direction.

But here’s what I’ve learned: if you’re only chasing fast change, you’re not giving yourself the gift of deep change.

Small Steps That Don’t Feel Like Progress (But Are)

Sometimes you’re in a season where you’re doing everything right — you’re showing up, putting in the work, being intentional — but nothing is moving on the surface. It feels like you’re stuck.

But a lot of growth happens underground, like roots forming before a plant breaks through the soil.

In my own life, some of the biggest breakthroughs came months after I made the decision to start something. Not immediately. Not when I wanted. But when I was ready — and when the timing was right.

Why Patience Is an Underrated Superpower

In a world built for speed, patience is rebellious.

When you’re patient:

• You stop rushing decisions and start making better ones.

• You stop comparing your timeline to others and focus on your own.

• You start trusting your process — even when it’s not performing yet.

Patience isn’t just waiting. It’s how you wait.

It’s the mindset of trusting that the seed you planted will grow — not because you’re forcing it, but because you’re watering it, tending to it, and giving it space to rise.

It’s active. It’s powerful. It’s hard.

But it’s also what separates people who burn out from people who build something real.

What patience looks like in real life:

• Releasing your 4th product or project even if the last 3 didn’t “take off”

• Continuing your creative work even when it feels like no one is watching

• Saying no to shortcuts in favour of sustainability

• Checking in with yourself regularly without needing instant external feedback

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My Personal Reminder This Week

This week, I caught myself feeling restless.

I looked at some personal goals I set for myself earlier this year — creative, fitness, lifestyle — and realized I was nowhere near where I thought I’d be by now. The voice of impatience started creeping in:

“What are you doing wrong?”
“Why isn’t this moving faster?”
“Should you pivot?”

But instead of acting on that impulse, I paused. I pulled up a journal entry from January and realized: I’ve actually done a lot since then.

It’s just that the changes haven’t finished unfolding yet.

And that’s the reminder I needed: change is happening, even if I can’t always measure it by the week.

The Compound Effect of Patience

If you’re feeling stuck or behind, ask yourself this:

Because the people who stick with it — through the slow seasons, the quiet weeks, the awkward beginnings — they’re the ones who wake up one day and realize they’ve built something meaningful.

Momentum builds slowly.
Breakthroughs happen suddenly.

But both are connected by one thing: patience.

Conclusion

So, here’s the truth:

Change is happening. It’s just slow. And slow doesn’t mean broken.

It means real.

Stay patient with your path, even if it doesn’t look like progress yet.

Keep watering your goals. Keep trusting your process. Keep showing up for the future version of yourself — the one who will thank you for not giving up too soon.

Because the truth is:

Until next Sunday,
Justin