Fortitude and day-to-day practice is needed to take care of happy self
A pianist may practice a musical phrase 49 times with no apparent effect, not even a hint of the cadence recognizable. Yet with the 50th attempt, the melody, harmony and rhythm come together to produce a pleasing sound. It wasn’t that final practice that did the trick, but all that had gone before.
The same is true of any self-care practice such as meditation, letting go, and connecting with others.
Philosopher, jurist, and mystic of Sunni Islam, Imam Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī, wrote this about patience:
“Desire makes slaves out of kings, while patience makes kings out of slaves.”
— (The Book of Knowledge: Book 1 of The Revival of the Religious Sciences)
P.S. Please know that as much as I like Iman al-Ghazālī’s work, I don’t approve of his writings on women.