Patience- The Forgotten Virtue?
In today’s fast-paced society, patience is often a virtue that gets completely forgotten. We want our businesses to grow now, we want our information now, we want all the hard work to produce a nice yield now.
Without the patience to finish the job carefully and diligently, we fail. We do not complete our goals, we don’t change lives. We don’t do these things because we don’t finish what we started. Our problems with completing the goals we set result from our lack of patience.
People get excited when they start the next big thing in their lives, but 2 weeks later, nothing has changed. Why? Because on the first day, they have an enormous amount of energy. When that energy runs out, they don’t have the patience to keep moving forward.
Sometimes, we have to learn how to trust the process. We have to learn that we don’t have to be there yet. It does not matter how fast you finish, it matters only that you finish strong.
Patience is a thing that farmers can teach us a lot about. They understand that their crops aren’t going to grow within days. They need to still work through the growing process, from start to finish. They understand that they still need to care for their crops until the harvest comes. If you work patiently and diligently throughout the process, the harvest will be plentiful. But, if you rush toward the harvest throughout the year, the harvest will be subpar.
Like any virtue, it can be mistreated. Not enough patience is reckless and impulsive while too much patience produces lazy complacency. You must have patience, but you cannot stop working in the name of patience. When working, patience needs to be paired with diligence.
Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.
- Napoleon Hill
Patience is the star of this equation. It’s the glue that holds everything together. You need the persistence so that you won’t give up, no matter what happens. You need the perspiration, you need to sweat. You can be up on a mountain in the middle of winter in shorts, but if you work hard enough long enough, you’ll sweat. It may only take 5 minutes, it may take 5 hours but eventually, you’ll sweat. You need the patience to work hard and keep working, even if the results aren’t there.
In your quest for success in all areas of your life, be patient. Patience will bring you great joy in your life. If you know how to behave well while you’re under pressure, and wait it out, it’ll get easier. You’ll find your success, just keep working and be patient.
