Yes, it’s OK if it's taking time to learn tarot (or anything else, for that matter)

This year I want to roll out a ton of new tarot workshops, while also rebuilding my platform as an author. I have so many ideas I want to share outside of tarot, but I don’t want to let go of either aspect of my work: My writing and my tarot readings have to coexist.  

I have been writing longer than I have been doing anything else, and people have often asked me how I find time to create – especially on top of running a business.  

In all honesty, there is no “hack” or magic secret I can offer. I set my priorities and try to be realistic with myself about what is possible in a single day.  

Learning how to do that has been a process. It has taken me time to learn how to focus my energy and how to set realistic expectations upon myself.  

My natural tendency is to think I can accomplish way more in a day than is possible, and when I do that, I set myself up for failure. And that sends me into disappointment in thinking that I’m chronically behind and never doing enough.

Letting myself focus on smaller goals and appreciating incremental progress rather than moving with leaps and bounds has been a learning curve.

And accepting that it’s the small efforts that add up has been another. So, so often – especially when I was starting out as a writer in my early 20s – I used to think that if I could just get one article published in the “right” magazine, my whole career would be sorted out.

But in reality, becoming a writer was an incremental process. Not only did I have to focus on publishing, but I also had to focus on my actual craft.

You know, like writing something people might think was worth reading.

In my tarot life, I have come across the same lessons over and over again. Just like writing takes time and development, so does tarot. Owning a tarot deck isn’t a license to start a tarot business, nor does it automatically instill you with the skills to build a tarot business: There’s a lot of learning in between those two things.

And that’s something that I notice a lot of people struggle with. Especially these days, when we’re exposed to so much social media and marketing content that promises quick fixes and one-step solutions.

Every year I have a handful of people in my tarot classes who are total beginners but they want to know: “How do I start a tarot business?”

Or, they ask: “What’s the one thing that I can do to learn tarot as fast as possible?”

I understand the urgency behind these questions: Sometimes you want something to work so badly that you’re looking for the fastest way to bring your goals into reality.

But there is rarely one tip or trick that will make everything click together, no matter what it is you are trying to do.

Our paths are rarely built out of a single opportunity or experience. It’s never just one moment, one class, one reading, one teacher, or one piece of information that transforms you overnight.

No matter what it is you’re doing, your ability to do that thing well, and your success to create a career out of it if you choose to, will depend on multiple factors and will be the sum of many parts.

Which is why patience is the energy I want to carry throughout 2024. I want to have patience with myself as I build upon my intentions. And I want to help others have patience with themselves, especially if they are searching for a quick-fix or easy answer that doesn’t exist.

It’s okay to do the work. It’s okay if it takes time. If the path is one you want to be on, then treat it as a journey, not a race.

p.s. Looking for some resources to help you get started with tarot? Check out my online resource section here.