Learning to wait.

Patience is something everyone has to varying degrees, even the people who say they lack patience; they still have it up to a certain point, because it is something that we were all born with, it’s like a spectrum and everyone falls on it somewhere, but its important to learn where you fall, and how to move across this spectrum when you need to. When it comes to being patient, it can get you much farther than you’d imagine because of how prevalent it is. especially in school, but also in work, and just every day life. And how everyone can be patient in their own ways and places; you just have to learn and decide when. You can see it in so many places, work, school, or truly just any situation where there is, or could be, an option. By just waiting, many opportunities can open, and answers to previous questions and wonders can arise. This is something that applies everywhere: the workplace, school, and even just out in public!

Let’s first look at myself; mainly in school, but I also saw these things in my home, and when I was doing odd tasks and jobs for people. Patience is something that I used to say I lacked, or I thought I lacked. But I began to learn after a while that you can be rewarded for being patient, and this can come in numerous forms. For a basic example, let’s look at school. In school, over time, I often found that if you just become a little more patient, and you wait just a moment before saying something, sometimes your question will be answered before you can even ask it. Or, when asking for help, if you remain patient and you’re not being loud and dramatic, sometimes, not always, but sometimes, the teacher will come to you sooner. However, with this, you have to be careful, it’s a sort of double-edged blade, because if you wait too long, and you never speak up or ask a question, or for help, you can sabotage yourself, you can lose those opportunities and advantages.

This is another thing about patience I learned quite early on. There are times to be less and more patient, and oftentimes, you have to decide when that is. If you become too patient, you could be less productive, lose opportunities and options, because you waited so long, those open doors were closed, and you no longer have access to those resources or help.

Patience isn’t just being the person in the corner who never speaks and waits quietly, but it’s also not being the person to speak up first and ask all of the questions. It’s important to learn to wait, and understand how and when to be patient because it can single-handedly open and close many doors and paths in your day-to-day, and in your overall life. That is something I began to realize after I tried being more patient and moving myself across the spectrum when I needed to. You truly have to find the balance, the happy medium, where you can become the most efficient and decide the best situations to be more or less patient in; then, you can be the most successful and truly flourish.

“clock” by Tom Magliery is licensed under  CC BY 2.0.