We live in a world where at one point of our lives, we may have given up too soon when it comes to things that matter to us. One-in-two marriages end in divorce. Sixty percent of small businesses never make it past three years of being in existence. We even find outlandishly high percentages of high school and higher education student dropout rates all around the world.
One of the specific and distinct reasons for a lot of us giving up is the lack of patience. We are living in a society that likes everything to happen FAST AND NOW! We have one-hour dry cleaners, Fast Food Restaurants and we even like our music and cars super fast!
Even Jay-Z said in his song “Big Pimpin”, “I don’t have patience and I don’t like waitin’!” That line alone sums up the patience that we may not possess in oue own lives.
As an educator myself, it’s frustrating to see students walk away from promising collegiate careers. Students walk away from college due to expected finances that fell through, unsatisfied grades and sometimes disagreements with professors, prompting students to give up on their educational dreams.
As individuals with dreams and desires for success, we have to realize that everything we hope for and want is not going to happen overnight. The fire of our passions receives its best fuel and priming from patience.
The extra efforts and hard work that comes with waiting to see a dream be fulfilled gives us the confidence to hang in there and wait for a desired result, no matter what the time table may be. Our words have power, and every time we speak the demeaning phrase, “I do not have any patience”, it kills the small amounts of patience that we really do have.
To gain patience in our lives, we have to think seriously on the matter: What is the importance of the dream that we are trying to pursue? Is it worth me giving up now or holding out a little longer to see what happens?
We set forth efforts, working hard and giving all that we have to reach goals that we care about in our lives. We have patience with our children, family members and close friends even when they can be knuckle-headed, belligerent, and disrespectful at times. Why? Because we love them!
That’s what we have to do with our deepest passions, dreams and desires; love them with all that we have! When we decide to do so, we will not give up so easily when tribulation or hindrances come our way. There has to be a strong desire inside of us that while we are pursuing our passions, we will dig deep, not give up on what we believe, and patiently wait on things to happen.
For individuals looking into businesses, it will take time to get finances in order, operations and staff in line, and foundations set for a successful endeavor. For recent graduates who are looking for jobs, you may have to apply to 20 to 40 different jobs, engage in 10 to 20 different interviews and even relocate to leave love ones behind in order to pursue that desired job in your degree field.
The old cliché phrase says that, ‘Patience is a Virtue’. Really, patience IS a virtue that we all need to work on, which will aid in continuous progress towards our dreams. We have to be willing to take time to train, gain knowledge, and develop our skills so that we avoid placing ourselves in the forefront too early. We do not want to embarrass ourselves by not being properly prepared to complete and accomplish our passions with the highest caliber of success.
Finally, we have to wait for our time to come. It is not always the proper time or season for us to jump out there with our ideas, proposals, and dreams. Seek out the proper learning channels and professional coaches that can let you know when to launch out your greatest desires. With the right timing, excellent preparation, love, care and patience, you can be successful in putting your plans into reality and setting your passion into action!
© 2012 – 2013, John C. Turner. All rights reserved.
John is an author, speaker, higher education professor and adviser that works to encourage people to live towards their greatest dreams and successes.
