I did not used to be a naturally patient person. If truth be told, I am still not a “naturally” patient person, but I have learned more skills and have fostered the ability to remain more patient. Part of it is due to mistakes I’ve made by rushing into things and losing patience. Still, there are those times in our business when patience only takes us so far and we have to take the leap and just get something out of the way.
Sometimes, patience really pays off—if we can wait for a fee to drop or wait until the right time to book an airline flight, we might get the best possible rate. If we can put money away and save it or wait for a wishy washy customer to finally come on board, then we will benefit from our ability to be patient. However, there is such a thing as waiting too long—wait too long to book that flight and the prices shoot up again. Keep our money in savings instead of investing in a calculated opportunity and we miss out. While we need to develop patience as business people, we also need to be able to step off the plank and know that we will move forward regardless.
Fear can sometimes be disguised as patience. We tell ourselves that we are just being prudent and careful and that we have great patience, when in fact, we are afraid of taking a chance or risk or making a mistake. Knowing when to “hold ‘em” and when to “fold ‘em” takes some self-awareness and the ability to take risks when we need to. Sometimes it is just best to go ahead and get things over with. We won’t always be able to outwait everything and even the most patient person has to be ready to leap in the business world when the time is right (or the time seems right). So, while you DO need to cultivate some patience, you also need to be able to move when necessary.
Also: Don’t Get Discouraged When Rebuilding Your Life