Chapter 8: Be patient. It will come.

They say you see your talents and flaws reflected in your children. Unwillingly, they uphold a mirror that confronts you with the same struggles you have or had as well. My son is now eight months old, and I watch him trying to sit, crawl, and stand, all at the same time. He's at the brink of working it out, but for now, he's just getting incredibly frustrated that he can do neither well. Even at this age, he's just as impatient and restless as I used to be.

"Patience you must have my young padawan" - Yoda.

In my experience, the worst thing you can say to impatient people is to 'be patient'. Someone saying those words will not make it so, because it is such a difficult skill to master. Just like telling someone to 'stay calm' usually has the opposite effect. It took me more than thirty years and motherhood to become more patient and trust that everything will work out fine, and it's a level of understanding we all must reach on our own, although not impossible.

Every time your patience is tested, you take baby steps towards controlling it. But like my son will tell you (if he could), even baby steps are difficult and hard work, for babies and adults alike. It's a matter of taking one step at a time instead of running towards the end goal, so you minimise falling and missed opportunities along the way.

In business, patience is a virtue. To be able to wait for the right time to share your opinion in a meeting. To stay strong when emails pop up and not respond right away unless it's actually urgent or to wait for the right clients to come along. That requires patience, and the courage to stay true to what you stand for, not blindly grasping at the first opportunity that comes along. Maybe you're already there: excellent. If you're not, I say to you (and my son): be patient. It will come. With one step at a time.