A Kick In The Career: Patience Takes Patience

Lots of people who have a problem with patience, and for good reason. Patience is one of the most difficult personal qualities to master. Patience takes patience. 

But we live in a society that values instant gratification. Millions of dollars have been made by companies like FedEx and Domino’s Pizza, simply because they address the issue of how long customers will have to wait. Because waiting, in our culture, translates into feeling frustrated, forgotten, stressed out, and most of all angry? So there are many benefits to learning patience, despite the fact that you might need some patience to learn them! Here are some ideas:

>> Know the difference between the things you control, the things you can influence and the things over which you have no control or influence. Spend the bulk of your time and attention on the things which you control. This is where you can make the biggest difference. Spend your remaining time and attention on the things you can influence, knowing things may or may not go your way. Let go of the things over which you have no control or influence. Time or attention spent on those is just wasted.

>> Live one day at a time. Treat each day as a treasured gift, because that is exactly what it is! Yesterday is done and tomorrow has not yet arrived, so make the most of today because it is all you have to work with anyway.

>> Accept and forgive yourself. You are growing, learning and changing all the time – or at least you should be. As a human being, even an unforgettable one, you will make mistakes. Get over it and get on with life. Forgive yourself for your mistakes, weaknesses, and imperfections. Learn from them and move on.

>> Change your point of view. Instead of beating yourself up over past mistakes, accept them as part of who you are today. Class is progress, not perfection.

>> Plan your life and follow your plan. Have “Plan B” ready in case things do not go the way you expect. Otherwise you’re going to set yourself up for frustration. Nothing is more maddening than waiting for the phone to ring! If you’re in that position, you’ll probably need more patience than you’ve got. So hope for the best – but prepare for something other than the best too.

>> Set big goals, then take baby steps. You can accomplish any goal by breaking it down into doable steps which keep you motivated along the way. Celebrate each time you complete a step toward your goal. Become your own best friend. As Jerry Lewis said in "The Nutty Professor, "You might as well like yourself, because you're going to be spending a lot of time with you. 

Buy yourself a cigar once in a while. You don't have to actually smoke it.