A couple weeks ago I planted some catnip seeds. They're sprouting now in my bathroom window. This morning as I showered, looking at the cup with the green frizz got me thinking about patience, job searches, business, and life in general.

Nothing happens overnight, but if you plant seeds and nurture them, they grow. Sometimes they grow without nurturing. Long after you've forgotten all about them, your seeds have turned into plants.

As my financial ship veers away from the iceberg and (it appears) into less treacherous waters, it becomes easier to assess things rationally. In business terms, I suppose this would be a sort of process audit. Since I really started trying to make money and dig myself out a little over a year ago, I have made a lot of mistakes. A few of those:

1. I spent way too much time trying to get a job -- should have trusted myself and my own ability to help people and get them to pay me for it.
2. I trusted and depended on people who did not deserve my trust, and one should never depend too highly on anyone, no matter how dependable.
3. For many moons, I was not systematic about my business. I sort of threw a bunch of stuff at the wall to see what stuck.
4. I made things harder than they should have been by over-thinking and under-doing.
5. I spent too much time blogging on the Interwebs and not enough time talking to people in the real world.

Rest assured, there were many other mistakes but I won't bore you with them.

I also got a few things right. For one thing, I planted seeds and gave them time to grow. At the commencement of this current entrepreneurial phase, I told myself that I would give it a year. If unable to get things rolling in a year, I would give up and resume the futile job search or maybe head to Japan where I know they love me. This took the pressure off, freeing me up to make mistakes. It allowed me to throw all that stuff at the wall.

Some of the seeds I planted a year ago are bearing fruit or at least grain. It feels good.

My point is that it is important to be patient in whatever you endeavor to do. Give things time, and try to see the long-term effect of every action. You throw a stone in the water, it takes some time for the ripples to hit the other side of the pond. Sometimes they encounter interference from bigger waves and never do make it across.

Rather than become frustrated when things don't pan out the way you expected, take honest stock of what happened and move forward.

If you're looking for a job, don't just blast resumes into the ether. Keep track of every one and follow up by phone. If you have an interview and the person doesn't hire you, send a thank-you note (not an e-mail) anyway. Keep the person's card and call them back every few months. Do this with enough hiring managers, and something will shake for you at some point.

If you're starting your own business, be aware that a business is, at root, a system. The system you develop will probably be grossly inefficient (and unprofitable) for a while as you iron out the kinks. Even after you become profitable, you can continue to improve the system, make it more efficient and more profitable. The biggest company in the world, WalMart, started with one tiny little store. It became what it is today (unquestionably profitable if of debatable value to the world) by constantly refining its system. The point is: It didn't happen overnight. Your success probably won't happen overnight either; it might, but don't expect it.

If you just don't know what to do, do nothing but think about what you want to do. Once you get a handle on that, start planting the seeds and be patient while they grow. More than that, enjoy watching them grow. Enjoy the process, and the harvest will come.