06: The case for patience.
“Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself”- St. Francis de Sales
Patience is one of those things that must be matured and developed like fine wine. It’s normally not an attribute of the young, and older folks seem to lose it more frequently than they should. Young people want everything yesterday. They expect to be in charge or to receive maximum compensation immediately, while older people are quick to “go off” because they think that they have retired from patience and no longer have any to give to other people. But more than understanding what patience is and why you should have it, I would argue that your real issue is Time.
According to historical documents, people have been focused on time for almost 6,000 years. Starting with lunar calendars, solar calendars, sundials, hourglasses, and modern watches, we have always wanted to know what the current time is so that we could know how to prioritize our day. But it seems that as soon as we mastered how to keep time, we realized that there was never enough of it. That’s when our patience started to wear thin.
“Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door”- Coco Channel
For my younger readers, you must understand that the best things in life are earned, not given. If you are blessed enough to have parents that love and appreciate you, do your best to build on the foundation that they helped you create. Explore, take chances, and figure out where you fit in this world without expecting to make six figures and be named the CEO within a year. Ask for advice. Find people who have done what you want to do and develop relationships with those people. I bet the first thing that they share is to have patience. It was Jim Rohn who said, “You’re the average of the 5 people that you spend the most time with.”. If that’s true, make sure those people lift you up, not keep you stagnant.
For my seasoned people, you have to be more patient with others who don’t have your experiences. Yes, they make quick decisions, change their minds every minute, and can’t stand the thought of settling down, but your patience will serve as a guide for their future selves. Seasoned people also are too infatuated with being “old”. “I’m too old to do this, that, or the third”. “That’s young people’s work”. You’ve heard all of the sayings, but I bet that you are using them, aren’t you? If my 85 year old grandfather can learn how to use a smartphone, you can show a little bit of patience. The grumpiest seasoned folks I know are the ones close to retirement. They have zero patience, follow no rules, and keep their retirement paperwork in their front pocket. They’re too connected to their careers and while they can’t wait to retire, they haven’t planned for a life outside of work. If this is you, please stop. You’re not a pleasure to be around. Instead of having this attitude, focus on new directions and the free time you’re about to have. Your job is only that. Hopefully, you have saved sensibly, kept your debt low, and can start to mentor the younger generations.
I want to leave you with this. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, know that you’re not always going to be where you are right now. Don’t focus on the goal. The goal always means the end of the journey. Instead, focus on the journey itself, that’s where the lessons are learned.
Until next time.
“Man conquers the world by conquering himself.” — Zeno of Citium
