I made a big pot of soup this week for a potluck gathering with friends. Making soup is not a process you can rush, but it is well worth the wait.

Soup isn’t fast food or something you can quickly zap in the microwave. Most recipes call for the soup to simmer for at least an hour so the flavors of the broth, vegetables, and seasonings mellow and merge. Many soups, such as minestrone, lentil, or mushroom-barley are even better the next day. Having time to sit thickens the texture and intensifies the taste.

Making soup is the perfect project for an at-home afternoon. Once all the vegetables are chopped, and the seasonings are added, it doesn’t need a lot of tending, but it does need time.

Like soup, good things take time. This holds true for many of the endeavors my coaching clients are involved in: growing a business, writing a book, having a baby, buying a home, getting into shape, finding fulfilling work, developing relationships, and mastering new skills. Most would rather snap their fingers and instantly reach their goal, but it rarely happens that way. Here are some suggestions to make the waiting easier and to facilitate the process:

Hold and Share Your Vision

Visualize the desired outcome. Create it first in your mind so that you can manifest it in your life. If you aren’t sure what you are looking for in, for example, a life partner or new job, you are more likely to settle for less than a desirable match. When you get really clear about what you want, you exponentially increase your chances of getting it. Make wish lists, collages, or journal entries to help you bring what you want into focus. Once you’ve nailed down the specifics of what you want, share your vision with others so they can contribute ideas, introductions, advice, referrals, and resources.

Take Action

It’s not easy to be patient. Being idle can make the wait feel like an eternity. It feels good to take even small steps toward your goal, whether it’s setting up systems to handle more clients for a new business, or preparing a nursery for a baby. Most final outcomes are reached through a number of smaller, incremental steps. Look for opportunities to pave the way for your dream. Recognize yourself for the efforts you are making even if the reward hasn’t yet materialized.

Give Something Away

Put the Universal Law of Karma to work for you. When you give with a generous heart, good things always come back to you in return. Clear clutter and donate unwanted items to charity. This has the added benefit of creating space for new things to come into your life. Contribute to worthy causes. Volunteering your time and expertise is a great way to give, when you are looking for a job or wanting to promote a new business. It won’t eat into your savings and can yield good visibility and contacts.

Allow Yourself To Be In Process

If you are only focused on the outcome, you’ll miss out on valuable experiences along the way. Some of the best learning takes place in transition. You may become a different person from the change and growth that takes place in the process. Even major setbacks, such as divorce or physical injury, create a strength and resiliency that wasn’t there before. A bone, for instance, becomes stronger after healing from a break.

Experiment with adding a few of these strategies to what’s in your pot, give it time, and when at last it’s time to announce, “Soup’s on,” sit back and savor the delicious results!