When I was a kid, my mom often used to say to my dad, who, by the way lacked patience, ‘Bob, you need to be more patient’.
And his response was always, tongue and cheek, ‘doctors need patients, not me’. Was funny – but not…….
It is said, “patience is a virtue”. Maybe so, I’m not sure about that, but I do know it is a great quality to exhibit when you are graduating school and thinking about your first job. There is an unfortunate tag today on the Millennials, the ones that now make up the majority of new job seekers, how they lack patience in ‘life’ due to the instant gratification lifestyle they have grown up in.
Technology has created much of that. Want something – order it and next day, it’s at your doorstep. Need information, Google it and there it is. Want a quick conversation – send a text. Pretty hard to develop patience when you have grown up this way, however when it comes to a career, it requires patience and a strong sense of self to get the fundamental core under your feet. You want to build from the ground up. It cannot possibly begin at the top. If it did – where do you go from there? Your career, your young life is not a sprint to the finish line. No, it’s a process that develops with TIME. And, time requires patience. This is a long race to the finish line. Your job is to embrace all the opportunities in front of you and create relationships along the way that add value to your life and those that you are engaging with. It’s all about creating a balance between you and the environment you are a part of. Let your life distill itself and become something of substance and worth. To become a part of something, it requires time and patience. What matters most are the challenges you face and how you manage them. There is no way around that.
Develop good work habits. Develop good coping skills. Develop a good sense of time management and above all – Take your time and be PATIENT.
