Friday, March 9, 2007

The Good Side of Impatience!

Why am I so impatient all the time?

It’s so incredible that when we are working on stuff, we expect results so quickly. It doesn’t matter what is being done, whether it is a ten minute homework or a year long project, the goal is to have something happen as quickly as possible. And if we ever happen to finish before the set time, we would have wanted it to happen much sooner than expected. You’d be thinking that this attitude would constantly irritate and disappoint me, but actually, it’s the opposite. In fact, impatience makes me more effective and productive!

One important thing for whatever happens is to know the reasons behind. If I’m impatient, I want to know why. Mostly, it’s explained by my own natural self, my character. But this is sometimes not the case. Thus, below, I’ll give you a few examples of how to feel much better about the situation, be motivated and boost your confidence.

Trust your senses. When I grow impatient, try to interpret the sense depending on the situation. So what does being impatient suggest to me?

1. Progress - When I’ve been doing something for a considerable amount of time, and I feel impatient, this usually means I’m making some progress. I’m growing impatient because my mind knows how much I’ve spent working on the subject and this suggests it’s about time I finish it off. This progress type of impatience is a very positive sign for me.

2. A Sense of Right Direction - I usually grow impatient when I’m fairly confident about the step I’ve just taken, but it takes some time for the result of this step to follow. So when I’ve done something and I feel impatient, I know this is because I’m on the right track. Or at least I think I’m on the right track. This is a very positive sign as well, because it reinforces my confidence. It confirms that what I’ve done so far is a correct thing to do and invites me to continue in a similar way till the goal is successfully achieved.

3. A Sense Of A Complete Stage in the Process - When I’m impatient about something, this suggests that I’ve done what I could for the moment, and I’ve just completed a certain stage in the process I’m working on. The actual reason I’m growing impatient is because I’ve done all the work, and it’s now time to wait for the results. So again it’s a good sign.

4. A Perfect Moment of Planning for the Process - This is where, having realized and considered all the good signs above, you look one step further to evaluate the rest of the plan of actions. Do you really have to wait for the result right now? Is there anything in your plan that you can do right now? Is there anything that can be changed in your plan so that you don’t have to wait for the result right now, but instead you’ll have the option of coming back to these results later? Basically, this would be a good moment for some prioritizing done to the rest of your plan. Maybe you haven’t realized how far in your plan you actually are, and that you’re only few steps away from a major turning point. Then it might be more beneficial for you to stop being impatient and dive into one of the future steps of the project and later come back for your results.

We people are unique creatures, there’s a pretty good chance impatience for you is different from mine. That’s why when you feel impatient, try to remember the actual meanings of the sense you get. Always remember that you will perform better when you are prepared for the outcome. So every time you feel impatient, take a minute to think about your reasons for this change. Always use the positive approach but don’t be surprised if it shows negative signs for you.

But the bottom line is that no matter what kind of sign it is, whether positive or negative, it will still help you because you get information as of that moment. Take your time to do the basic analysis at first, and soon enough you’ll learn to quickly recognize the patters and signs of your impatience, and all what’s left for you then is to follow the indications.

Now it’s time to master the goodness of being impatient!