Start With Patience
Patience is the foundation of almost every good habit. Without it, you won’t be able to save money, learn a new skill, or lose weight. Patience is also one of the hardest qualities to develop.
“Patience” in this case means the ability to wait. It doesn’t go crazy in traffic. It is a recognition that long-term goals get their name because they cannot be achieved overnight. It will take five minutes for you to respond to new information . It is a recognition that healthy habits do not provide immediate benefits. Patience is not only a factor in achieving long-term goals, but also a way to stay cool in the moment.
When we are impatient, we look for labels. When we take shortcuts, we tend to act carelessly or make bad decisions. It’s okay when you don’t care about the quality of the work, such as just putting together dinner for the night or throwing up an invitation to the barbecue next door. When you’re looking for ways to avoid work because you want effortless results, shortcuts are problematic.
Impatience is evident in the self-help movement. Self-help gurus constantly advertise the shortest route from point A to point B, and they use our impatience as a vehicle to sell their shitty products. They sell effortless weight loss, wealth without work, exercise without sweat, or education without diligence. We eat these terrible ideas because we don’t have the patience to wait for cultivation. The faster this magic bullet arrives, the better.
Patience is not just a high-level cultivation concept. It is also necessary for everyday nonsense. Patience is not about pre-ordering video games . These are not pirate film screenings. He expects good reviews before buying the next iPhone. Without patience, we are consumers who make stupid choices and then complain that no one has prepared us for the consequences .
I have noticed that patience becomes content with it . This impatience has become my usual state. I will blindly order something on Amazon without much research, skip examining exactly how 401 (k) works, or haphazardly honk a car that is not moving in a lane.
Impatience is a badge of honor because it means I’m too busy, which is a sign of relative success . In fact, impatience is a recipe for ruin, anger and ill health.
I don’t think it’s just me. Whether it’s the guy who turns to me for support, whining about the length of the line at the grocery store, the Prius who stops me in traffic to get to a traffic light five seconds before me, or a friend who cries about the starting paycheck in their new position. the present is all that matters to most of us. The very thought of expecting something causes anxiety and fear.
Of course, patience has long been a struggle for humanity as a whole. This is called virtue because it is difficult, unusual, and difficult to practice. But perhaps thinking of patience as a virtue is the wrong approach. This kind of thinking gives the impression that patience is something you either have or you don’t.
In practice, however, patience is more like a habit, and habits are something that people adapt to very well . I find it very helpful to take a break before reacting to the daily troubles that are testing my patience. The easiest way to do this is if at the moment my attention is switched to something else, from my point of view. If the line at the grocery store is long, I think about how hard the cashier’s day is. If I am annoyed by traffic, I focus on the fact that everyone around me is as annoying as I am. This little thought, a few seconds, is often enough to suppress this momentary impatience.
Cultivating long-term patience can perhaps develop with the same habit-forming approach. First, give yourself a rule about the dumb stuff: Stop pre-ordering media, ditch the launch day, or ditch Amazon’s free two-day shipping to get a dollar of free movie credit. If you have the opportunity to make time for something, do it. Spend a little more time preparing dinner, take on a side project, or read saved articles.
Then tackle the big deal that requires a lot of patience: 401 (k) s, learning a new skill for career advancement, or saving money to buy a house. If you’re lucky, these goals will be a little easier to achieve.