The Value Of Patience
It’s Monday morning in central London and the sun is bursting through the clouds. There’s people jostling and hurrying everywhere I turn. Headphones on or eyes glued to their smartphones. I’ve joined the rat race and as I fight my way to make my own train, I stop for a second to take it all in and can’t help but feel like the proverbial salmon swimming up stream. It’s a glorious day but nobody seems to be aware. Worse still, nobody seems to care.
“When someone screams at me to hurry up, I slow down.”
Mario Lemieux
In a world which we’re so well connected, the reality is that we’re now even further apart. Social media means information is at our fingertips yet we continue to demand more and want it faster than before. Wait and you’re too late. Blink and you’re history. It’s a society hell-bent on knowing what happens next without really understanding where they are heading and why it is they're so desperate to get there. That need for instant gratification shows no sign of slowing so patience is quickly becoming an ancient art that people used to practice and no longer treasure.
“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time”
Leo Tolstoy
Take a minute to think of the most valuable lessons you have learnt whether that be about yourself, other people or the world that you operate. Michelle Dockery once said that; “the journey matters as much as the destination,” so isn’t it wise to wait and see if the process in tackling your latest problem or challenge proves to be just as important as the end result.
“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.”
Napoleon Hill
We’ve all been told at some point or another that “good things come to those who wait” and isn’t it true that when the realisation of our goals is not a foregone conclusion that we will have to either increase our efforts or find an alternative solution? Reflect on those achievements that have given you the most personal satisfaction and fulfilment. Did you have to earn the right to succeed and discover an element of your character that shaped your future self?
Becoming a parent has undoubtably changed my perspective and I feel blessed to be the father of fraternal twins with very different personalities, developing at their own rate and in their own special way.
“You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.”
Franklin P. Jones
It is of course only natural that I share in my children’s frustrations and struggles because I want the very best for them but I always try and remind myself to allow them the space to learn through their actions and decisions. So whether that was when I watched them gather the confidence and co-ordination to take their first steps or scribble their way to their next masterpiece for our fridge door, I know that willing them to get to the next stage of their development is one thing but if I rush that process I'll wish we had that time back together further down the line.
My life as a professional athlete has taught me many valuable lessons but few more important than the fact that father time is one opponent you can defy, but never defeat forever. Regardless of talent and attitude, you know that some day your final whistle will be blown and that's why I’ve always been conscious to prepare for the day when I make my own transition. I’m now at a point where the majority of my career is no longer in front of me and that reality has sharpened my focus so I'm able to see, and appreciate, experiences for what they truly are. We cannot turn back the clock and we cannot change what has gone before but you can find value in both the positive and negative situations you face so that you’re better equipped to determine the next chapter of your life.
"Do not be in a hurry to succeed. What would you have to live for afterwards? Better make the horizon your goal; it will always be ahead of you."
William Makepeace Thackeray
#mondaymotivation #inspiration #patience