“He that can have patience, can have what he will.” —Benjamin Franklin

Good wine, sun ripened tomatoes, the appreciation of a home’s value, and vintage clothing all have one thing in common – time.  In other words, someone recognized the potential value in each of these subjects and decided to wait, to hold back . . . to have patience.

Let’s continue this game.  What do these concepts have in common? Weight loss, earning a degree, becoming CEO of a company, training for a marathon and becoming a New York Times best selling author?  The theme is most definitely perseverance coupled with . . . you’ve got it – patience.

Patience is a hard quality for those who are ambitious to master because everybody seems to want it now . . . everything now.  At first glance it is assumed that patience is asking you to be wasteful of your time or even worse, to be lazy.  But it is quite the contrary.

Patience involves staying focused, continuing to hone one’s skill, talent or craft, waiting for the perfect opportunity when both your skills are at their best and the opportunity is at its highest potential. So in order to allow your patience to pay off, you must, while you are waiting, continue to persevere.  Use the time in limbo to improve, grow, learn, mouths shut (unless to ask questions), and ears open.

Look at it this way, “ . . . impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.”  But the success can’t come, if you are remaining idle in the same spot and not furthering yourself.  The bachelors degree that you now mindlessly include on your resume took most likely four years – four years – not just a few days to attain.  And then finishing graduate school, again more time.  Always remember that your first day on the job, or the first attempt at any hope of a successful venture will not be pretty, but if you’re willing to put your nose to the grindstone and stop looking up so often, you’ll accomplish everything you’ve hoped for and most likely, more than you had ever imagined.  After all, as Ralph Waldo Emerson reminds us, with “patience and fortitude [we can] conquer all things.”

I believe without question that patience and perseverance must be married simply because while being patient, you must continue to strive forward, to work towards your dreams and allow yourself to learn, make mistakes and learn some more.  It is in this process that one grows and comes closer to their definition of success.

“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” Cheers to that.

Have a wonderful Monday and a patient step toward your future success in whatever arena it might be found.