Is Patience Really a Virtue?
Laurissa J. Doonan
User Experience focused Content Strategist ? Content Creator ? Marketer ? Author
Are you patient?
Why yes, of course. Everyone answers that question positively. The question comes in how others perceive us.
Are we seen as patient?
More often than not, no. Because those who are asked only see the end results. Patience is not noticeable. The lack of patience is perceived through the expression of the late stages of it:
- Pleading
- Exasperation
- Annoyance
- Nagging
- Yelling
- Demanding
- Holding others accountable
The perception is clouded. So is the eventual reaction.
Patience is not a virtue when it festers
By the time the idea of patience is noticed, it's filled with a wealth of unmet, unacknowledged expectations, disappointment, frustration, which exponentially damages situations. When it's expressed, it's frequently seen as a surprise, that the patient person is, in fact, not patient.
It's time to hold others accountable and learn to balance patience with accountability, so that the patient person isn't required to equate patience with acceptance.
If you think someone isn't patient, it's best to look inside and see where you have not responded, delivered, or followed through.
If you think you're being patient but getting frustrated, look inside and see where you have not been clear, set boundaries.