Patience does not mean inaction

The word patience speaks for itself. It is not an easy word to absorb or exercise. I mean what happens if you wait for something and it does not happen? What guarantee do we have that something will come to pass as a result of us doing nothing but waiting?

I think the key to patience lies in its activity not its inactivity. What do we do whilst we are patiently waiting for something special to happen. What would be the boundary line that if overstepped would mean we are no longer being patient? Patience does not mean sitting idly by, waiting for something to happen. Patience is needed to ensure that one does not give up when so close to the finish line. A student that is starting their studies needs to exert patience throughout their years of studies knowing that although things seem to be going slowly that through diligence day by day they are getting closer to their end goal of graduation.

The employee who has just started their journey in the workplace needs to be patient in building a great reputation and not creating negativity in the workplace as they believe that they have not been promoted quick enough. The photographer has all their equipment laid out and ready to snap however they have to wait patiently for that perfect moment and not a second too soon before they take the picture. In life true patience can only exist in the presence of purpose as without it there is no reason to be patient. The great news about this is that when the purpose is established then the action that needs to take place can also be established and that action needs to be done with patience. This is true for the professional sportsmen who awaits patiently for their moment of opportunity by working hard in the background, doing hours and hours of routines to hone their skills, so that when they get their chance they can take it with both hands.

The person who has no patience will be under cooked and invariably not maximize their opportunity when it comes their way. There are so many examples of individuals that were promoted too soon that have failed dismally. There are even more examples of individuals that have given up too soon, as they did not have the patience to endure the pain of self sacrifice in order to achieve the great reward that is guaranteed for the diligent.

If you have a great goal in mind for the future what actions do you need to do patiently in your today and more importantly how will you keep yourself doing those great actions when everything inside of you cries “ENOUGH”, I want it and I want it now.

It is imperative that you can break through the temptation to short circuit the patient process that is needed to achieve your goals.