Hi!
I’ve been told my whole life that I’m impatient. As a matter of fact, one of the most… remarkable (absolutely everyone who ever saw it remarked on it!) gifts I’ve ever been given was a clock that – instead of numbers – had the word “now” written in place of all twelve numbers around the edge of the dial. And when I opened it, I thought, “Ummm… yeah. That’s right.”
Except I’ve never understood why being impatient is seen as a fault. I think it means I’m eager, excited, forward-looking and ready! I like my impatience because, for me, it’s tied to my optimism and my positive outlook. And I secretly believe that all my people like this about me too. Most of the time.
This is top of mind for me this week because I’m waiting for something. Something I’ve planned on, dreamed about (actually dreamed about) and worked towards. Something, who’s timeline I cannot entirely control. Something I thought would already be here and… nope, not yet. But a n y d a y n o w!
So, being me, I looked into this whole “impatient” conundrum. I want to know if it’s more resilient to be impatient – eagerly anticipating what’s coming! – or patient. Webster’s Dictionary says patient is the ability to remain calm when dealing with a difficult or annoying situation, task, or person.
That definition stopped me in my tracks! This here is saying I don’t have to ignore the situation that is frustrating me. I don’t have to like it. I don’t even have to accept it. I just have to stay calm? I can (almost always) do THAT!
I guess I’m… patiently impatient. I’m calm but also excited, eager and more than ready to show you this thing that I’ve been working on. So eager that you might hear from me before next Thursday. You may hear from me the instant it drops!
Do you consider yourself patient or impatient? And does this framework change any of your beliefs around impatience? Comment and let me know! And I’ll talk to you soooooooon I hope.
All my best,
Dr. G
