Most people can think of a friend or relative who gives advice that’s meant to inspire (and often does). However, that advice sometimes lacks any real substance on which to act.
Should you be patient? Absolutely! You can divide patience into two categories:
● Situations that relate to you and only you.
● Situations which apply to others. Patience in others becomes critical to you in activities that require team participation, for example.
Turned upside-down, think about the impact of a lack of patience in terms of a hasty decision or a rush to judgement. If you’re a parent of a teenager, you might remember the times you lacked patience and discovered an error in judgement as your kids changed faster than your ability to observe them. Life can become a distraction and get in the way of things like that!
A lack of patience can appear as a failure to
become aware of a situation. It can be as simple as a preoccupation with an appointment which leads to a failure to look both ways before crossing a street.
Here are a three simple examples of how patience can prevent loss. You may have already witnessed it in your own life or the life of someone you know.
- Career : When you take the next job opportunity that comes along, you may be unavailable for the one that you really want. Patiently waiting for conditions to change shifts the burden of change on someone (or something) other than you.
- Conflict Resolution : In times of conflict, patience can control frustration and give you enough pause to stay in control. It can give you the time necessary to understand another’s point of view. That point of view can lead to an adjustment in your own opinion or develop arguments for a stronger debate.Once voices are raised and personal attacks begin, you’re wasting your time and any hope of a resolution is lost. Remain vigilant and observant by being patient first!
3. Physical Confrontations : If you’re a parent of a martial arts student, there’s a chance that your kid is a “head hunter”. They go for the high value targets in sparring and competitions, even when they’re off-balance or otherwise vulnerable in that moment.
The instructor goes to great pains to show the student how to execute effective combinations for maintaining balance and exploiting a weakness in their opponent. It makes them consistently effective . The point here is that, vulnerabilities in your opponent will be impossible to spot with a lack of patience, because it provokes action and movement with no regard to observation or adaptation in your tactics.
The next time these kinds of situations present themselves, try to remind yourself of the value of patience.