Patience is a skill you learn throughout life. As babies, wehave no patience and cry whenever we want or need something. Our parents comerunning to us immediately to soothe us and give whatever we need at thatmoment. We soon learn crying gives us instant gratification to our every wantand need, then we become toddlers, and learning patience begins!
Change and patience go together. We all want the instant result from all of our changes to be in our favor, when they aren’t, we get upset. Yes, some changes are instant, like turning on the AC to cool you off. Most changes take a little time to completely set in, this is where patience is required.
On January 1st of every year, millions of people are ready to double their previous year’s income and lose 20 pounds. On January8th they gave up both goals because neither had happened. Besides setting reasonable expectations, patience is involved in achieving the end results. You have to work through processes that involve setbacks, challenges, and unforeseen circumstances. You develop the skills to be patient in overcoming all the obstacles and barriers which make you stronger and better for loftier goals. Still, nobody likes or wants to do this, including myself.
Starting a new job or promotion requires a ton of patience to learn not just the requirements and responsibilities, but also the relationships involved. As someone already in a role working with a new person, patience is needed to teach the new person his or her responsibilities and requirements, plus build the new relationship. Patience is a two-way street! Every organization constantly undergoes change, it takes time for the changes to evolve, then edited, then further implemented, then tweaking. Unlike movies, TV, and what social media wants you to believe, nothing occurs immediately and with 100% happiness for everyone involved.
Being a parent is the definition of patience. Nothing can replace the wisdom of time and experience. Going through the teenage years and even into upperclassmen in college, kids experimenting to become their own individuals drives parents crazy. We see the folly of their ways before they even attempt some things, yet we must let them learn their lessons and watch the gas and match come together for the explosion.
Patience is a skill we constantly learn and relearn throughout our lives. Your mindset is key to building patience in all areas. Staying present in the moment helps us focus on the completing tasks appropriately, and enjoying the feelings of joy as an event or activity unfolds before us. If we’re constantly looking towards what’s next, we are extremely impatient and can never be satisfied. Enjoying the moment is practicing patience by allowing us not to think about the future and remaining fixed in the present for long as possible. Even as I write this blog, the patience of allowing my thoughts to develop and arrange for coherency is practicing the skill.
There are limits to our patience with varying tasks, jobs, activities, and relationships. You must move in a different direction at some point when the return on your investment has dwindled after the effort you put in. These times are painful and full of anxiety if you’re doing the right action by making a change. The positive is changes are not all permanent. You can never go back to the way it was, and that’s good, you can improve and start new with the former and previous. Divorces happen, people quit or are fired, you move from one home to another, yet with commitment and patience, you can start fresh with the person, place, or thing you left.
Keep working on your patience levels, they do improve overtime. You do lose 20 pounds over a 10-week period when you follow a nutritionand exercise plan. The same goes for doubling your income when you follow anactivity plan and have help from mentors. Put your head down and have apositive mental attitude that the efforts you’re putting will reveal themselvesin your character development and achieving the actual goal. As you look backupon that time, you know patience paid off by surveying your current situationwith grace and gratitude.
Stay strong, be patient, your glory is ahead!