Be Patient!

​It was the winter of 2020; I was on a road trip with a good friend, Greg Resnick, driving across several states in the US in search of the ultimate ski conditions. A 6-week ski road trip with nothing to worry about except for which town to visit and which ski resort to enjoy. One day we were driving in congested traffic, and I could feel my blood pressure begin to rise. Too many cars and bad drivers were delaying the start of a perfect powder day at Alta. I started to get impatient and make loud and inappropriate remarks at the drivers who were slowing us down. Greg then said something that has stuck with me ever since. “Relax and slow down, my friend. We will get there 10 minutes later than expected, and that is okay. Trying to get those 10 minutes back is not worth the risk.”

​It was the winter of 2020; I was on a road trip with a good friend, Greg Resnick, driving across several states in the US in search of the ultimate ski conditions. A 6-week ski road trip with nothing to worry about except for which town to visit and which ski resort to enjoy. One day we were driving in congested traffic, and I could feel my blood pressure begin to rise. Too many cars and bad drivers were delaying the start of a perfect powder day at Alta. I started to get impatient and make loud and inappropriate remarks at the drivers who were slowing us down. Greg then said something that has stuck with me ever since. “Relax and slow down, my friend. We will get there 10 minutes later than expected, and that is okay. Trying to get those 10 minutes back is not worth the risk.”

To most, that would seem like a logical statement, yet to me who was caught up in the moment, it took a minute to sink in. And then I thought, “he is right”. Why was I getting so riled up over something that wasn’t that important? It led me to think of so many other scenarios where my lack of patience got the better of me. Perhaps it came from my childhood. I see this in my 4-year-old son today from his impatient temper tantrums when he cannot figure out how to work a particular toy.

Impatience is human nature, yet it is something we can control. I see this with professionals all the time when it comes to their quest for success. They want to see instant results and get frustrated when that does not happen right away.

Some of the classic scenarios I often hear in my coaching sessions with clients:

“I attended this conference, but I did not get any leads. I won’t attend that one again.”

“I reached out to her twice but didn’t hear back from her. I assume she isn’t interested.”

“I sent them the proposal over two weeks ago, but I still haven’t heard back from them. They probably went with someone else.”

“I have been courting this client for over a year now and they still haven’t given me any work. I should probably move on.”

The list goes on. It is only natural to get frustrated and discouraged when we don’t see the results as quickly as we would like, yet in those situations, take a step back, breathe, and tell yourself that sometimes success takes longer than you want. The important thing to remember is to stick with it. Don’t give up like my 4-year-old boy will often do with his toys.

Patience is one of the most important and challenging aspects of growing a business. Several trusted and successful solopreneur friends told me when I started my consulting practice that it will take 2-3 times longer than I think to get the business off the ground. They were right. Building my business has been a test of patience that has ultimately paid off.

To this day, I still appreciate the sage advice from my friend Greg when we were stuck in traffic 21 years ago. Since then, there have been plenty of times when I wanted to lash out at traffic that I could not control yet I chose to take the high road and remain patient until I reached my destination.