Patience

I bet you’ve met someone like Bill before.

Bill works hard every day, is above average in his work output and is a pleasure to work with.  Bill is waiting patiently for his boss to offer him a big promotion.  Bill hasn’t applied for any new jobs, hasn’t mentioned his interest in the promotion to his boss, and is not known to many people outside his immediate work group.  Bill is known as a patient guy.  He knows the promotion will come someday if he just waits patiently.

Ugh! Poor Bill.  Someone has misled him all these years.  I’d be surprised if he ever gets that promotion with the way he’s going about getting it.

Bill’s story leads me to our quote of the week:

Patience is the art of waiting.  It is not necessarily the art of waiting patiently.” – Peter Kreeft

I find joy in this quote, joy because it lends shades of color to the blog tag line, “Stop waiting.  Start driving the change you want.”  And, it helps Bill understand what he must do to get his promotion.

When I wrote, “Stop waiting,” I had in my head the picture of you hearing, “Stop waiting!” then awakening, leaping to your feet, and putting your shoulder to the boulders in front of you, the boulders that stand between you and the change you want.

Yet, I expected you would know that I meant for you to keep at the boulders, day after day, even if (and especially if) they seem immovable.  I expected you to know I was encouraging you to be patient for your outcome and at the same time impatient in your actions today.

But, how could you know that was what I expected?  I didn’t clearly say.  Let’s try to make the situation clear by returning to our friend, Bill.

Do this: Be patient for your destination.  You will arrive in time and it’ll be worth the wait.

Bill may have all the knowledge, skills and abilities to deserve that promotion and excel in the new role. Bill should set his sights on that promotion and know that someday it will be his.

While also doing this: Act impatiently along your journey.  Those who wait patiently rarely ever reach their destination.

Bill must act impatiently today.  By the end of the day, he could tell his boss he is interested in the next promotion.  By the end of the week, Bill could ask what training, experiences or results he’d need to be considered for the promotion.  By the end of the month, Bill could network with other colleagues, to increase his name recognition with the promotions board members.  Bill could do a lot of things and Bill should do something, today, this week and this month to get noticed and draw others to his side in his journey for a promotion.  If Bill does nothing but wait patiently, then he’s likely to get nothing in the end.

Don’t be Bill.

Be patient for the destination and wildly impatient along the journey.

Stop waiting. Start driving the change you want.

Why not start today?