“Ebe onye oso ruru, onye ije ga eru ya!”

(Wherever one who runs reaches, one who walks would also reach)

Welcome to Step 12, the penultimate step of this program. As you are near the end of The 13 Steps, I think it’s important to return back to previous lessons and realize how far you’ve traveled. For your first step, you began to remember (ncheta) what it felt like to try new things without fear of failure. Next, you discovered your potential &  kinetic energies (Chi na Eke) in step two and the importance of keeping them in harmony. In the third step, you recognized the importance of your self image (Ikenga) in creating the reality that you want for yourself. For step four, you learned how you’re constantly in communication with spirit via your dreams (nrọ). 

In step 5, you declared that your destiny (akaraka) was indeed in your hands, and then after that you learned in step 6 that the best way to travel through life was by being guided by your internal navigation system (ako bu ije). The lesson of step 7 was how to harmonize your Chi na Eke, as well as supercharge your Agwu (your intuition) using various umu ndu practices. Step 8 taught you that abundance (aku na ụba) was something you already had, but you had to learn to transform it from one form to another. 

In step 9, you were reminded of how you could give back to those who were the source of the blessings of your life. Step 10 taught you that there were no magic pills, and that everything was a process (ogwu). And in step 11 you learned how forgiveness (mgbaghara) can unshackle you from whatever you’ve found yourself bound to. Seeing how far you’ve come, it’s almost like looking from near the top of a mountain. And if there is anything one would need to scale a mountain, it’s ndidi, which is the Igbo word for patience and also the name of this step.

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” – Leo Tolstoy

Societies all around the world associate mountains with spiritual awakenings. People would either go up a mountain to have a transformative spiritual experience, or do it in order to learn lessons from spiritual masters, who are usually said to live at the top of the mountain. As I told you earlier, one cannot successfully climb a mountain without having patience. Likewise, ndidi is one key ingredient in mastery of anything. 

My brothers and sisters, the main lesson for step 12 is that if you have indeed taken the time and effort to do the action items described in steps 1 – 11, then you have already demonstrated ndidi. Furthermore, if you apply this same ndidi you have to other areas of your life, you are guaranteed to  see positive changes. Ndidi is like salt, it’s one of the few things in life that enhances almost anything it’s added to. 

Step 12: I am patient and will continuously work on being more patient in other areas of my life

Action item: Look for ways you can be more patient in your day to day activities. And stay tuned for Step 13, which is coming out on the next new moon August 8. Yagazie!