How long is this going to take?

Anybody who learns, at some point is going to say, ‘How long is this going to take? How long do I have to wait?’ This is obviously a universal question. But over time, the question becomes quieter and you become less impatient and less driven by that ego-demand – and it is a demand. The question, ‘how long is this meditation going to take’, is a demand to control and to possess the process. What we learn, of course, is that the process is about letting go of control and possession. You can’t control and possess a way of dispossession. It’s a radical poverty of spirit. 

Enlightenment by Laurence Freeman OSB