By Sunny Simon
Recently my husband and I were dining at a local restaurant. I could not help but notice the scene created by the couple at the next table. The man was clearly intrigued with the iPad menu the waiter presented to him. After the couple ordered, he very patiently looked for the off button. The female diner, apparently well versed in the operation of this piece of technology, began rapidly issuing instructions and nearly leapt over the table to snatch it away and power it down. Our hero just smiled passively, ignored her and eventually found the off switch in his own sweet time. Two facts were evident. The first, he wanted to teach himself how to operate the iPad. Number two, she had zero patience for his learning curve.
We’ve all been there… guilty of losing our patience over trivial matters, asserting our commands and vying for control. Patience is a skill. Conversely, impatience is an uncontrolled reaction that quickly leads to frustration. The female diner in my story was visibly irritated. She might have saved herself some aggravation if she just sat back, enjoyed her drink, the ambiance of the establishment and let the gentleman complete the task on his own.
In her book, The Power of Patience, best-selling author M.J. Ryan advises that Ms. Know-It-All has company. Many individuals believe they “corner the market on the right way to be, and the rest of the world is wrong for not marching to the tune.” Ryan goes on to say there is a time to wait, and a time to act. I could not agree with her more.
In my career coaching practice, I advise clients that unless the wolf is at the door, it is wise to wait for the right job offer. Compromising to accept a position that does not align with your goals is futile. You end up dissatisfied and must eventually begin the rigors of a job search again. Adopting the philosophy that “it is going to take as long as it takes” and waiting patiently eliminates many Sunday nights spent dreading the Monday dawn.
The same line of thinking applies to waiting to find your soul mate, or saving to purchase your dream home. Try practicing patience and take the time to savor the journey. Consciously calculate the appropriate moments to take action and when to just chill and power up your patience button. By doing so, you will experience more joy and so will the world around you.
