Patience: the Pathway to Eventual Success

Life is a journey, not a destination.  We all go through many changes, trials, sorrows and joys. Patience is a necessary part of the process. Patience is often our only transportation to new levels of joy. Those who glide through life on puffy clouds of peace and prosperity often find that they don’t have the momentum and stamina to reach their highest goals:

Undercover Boss—on a recent episode of this reality series, the CEO of a company went undercover in one of his retail stores.  This top executive didn’t originally come from a privileged background. He was accustomed to hard work. On the other hand, the sales associate who “trained” him had lived a life of ease. Therefore, the worker didn’t have the necessary motivation, or patience, to move ahead in life.

The employee wasn’t willing to wait for eventual success; he chose immediate mediocrity. He was disinclined to build a brighter future by patiently pushing through the drawbacks of the present. He wasn’t willing to be diligent enough to qualify for some sort of promotion. He was happy being a sales associate, unlike the executive who had pushed through disadvantages to acquire his position.

Impatience is rarely a prudent choice. It can sabotage our relationships, careers, academic standing, and even our safety. We can condense the motivation for any anger and frustration down to impatience. Why do we really get angry, or frustrated? We allow these emotions to build up in us when we, unreasonably, expect others to do our bidding immediately. We are likely to make unwise choices if we act on these pessimistic emotions. Road rage is a prime example.

I am extremely frustrated right now because I am unable to meet certain goals, and my kids often don’t act and speak according to my desires. My whole family is dealing with chronic and acute illness as well as a lack of motivation. I am ready to tear my hair out because, literally, everything and everybody seems to be beyond my control.  The busy holiday season adds more irritation, if I allow myself to focus only on materialism and added duties.

In order to keep my steaming emotions in check, I need to call on an inner reservoir of endurance constantly.

My conclusion

Patience is a virtue that is worth its weight in gold.  Precious metal can’t buy us an enduring triumph; persistence can. There are no microwave victories; a difficult lesson learned by all successful people. Victorious individuals usually undergo years, or even decades, of training, preparation, and defeat before they finally achieve success in their chosen fields.

How have you been patient?