The Importance of Being Patient

With the digital era at its peak, everything has become faster, simpler, and more convenient.

Nowadays, when we’re feeling hungry, we don’t have to go through the painstaking process of preparing ingredients, mixing or sauteing them in a pan, and washing the dishes afterward. A few taps on our phones is all it takes to get food delivered to us within the hour. 

If we’re missing someone and want to see them right away, we no longer have to wait for one or both of our schedules to clear up or travel great distances to see them. We have Skype and FaceTime. 

With advanced technology, we enjoy instant gratification and have come to expect it like a basic right. At the same time, unfortunately, we are slowly forgetting what it means to be patient.

Patience is a skill we should all possess—Benjamin Franklin said, “He that can have patience can have what he will,” for a reason. Although I didn’t delve deep into the principle in my book, patience is unquestionably elemental to success.

Patience Helps Us Achieve Our Goals

The road to success is a long one. It’s not something that can be achieved overnight. It’s rather a slow but promising process of growth that, with enough perseverance, meets the threshold of success. 

What most people don’t realize is that at the moment they are about to succeed, they pull back. They begin to doubt. They begin to fear, and that’s when they genuinely fail. Those who expect results immediately are unlikely to enjoy the sweet taste of success. 

Patience Gives Us Time to Think Strategically

When we practice patience, we let things—those that are within and out of our control—unfold before we react. As everything runs its course and falls into place, we have a clearer and more strategic view. This gives us enough time to analyze the situation, think of possible next steps and solutions as well as their outcomes, and make the best possible decisions in our favor.

Patience Brings Out the Best in Us

Did you know that Michael Jordan has missed more than 9000 shots and lost almost 300 games? If he lacked patience, he wouldn’t have become one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Failure fuels our pursuit, and patience keeps us from quitting. By being patient, we learn from our mistakes, become better at what we do, and eventually achieve the greatness we’ve been striving for all along. 

Patience Makes Us Better Leaders

As leaders, we need to work with people to help develop their skills and bring out the best in them. Some of the people we work with will be easy learners. However, some of them may take a little extra time to pick up knowledge and skills and make mistakes along the way. If we want to be good leaders, we ought to be patient with them. We should wait for them to bloom while instilling in them everything we know.

Some of us are innately patient. Some of us are not. It’s important to recognize this and stop ourselves when we are exuding impatience. We should make a conscious effort to be more patient. Remember, all good things take time!