How To Prevail Over Impatience

Patience and impatience are contrasting and opposite attributes that almost all of us have experienced. At the extremes, they range from banging our fists on the table in frustration to dogged perseverance in the face of repeated failures. Their mastery—or lack thereof—can make the difference between your personal success and failure.

The virtues of patience are well known, and we shouldn't need a lot of explication about them. Instead, we will be better served by talking about how impatience can be a barrier to personal growth and well-being and how to get rid of it. So let’s explore the reasons why we become impatient and how we can better manage most situations by avoiding them.

Impatience In The Modern World

Instant Gratification Culture

Our increased reliance on social media and communication devices has had an unfortunate side effect. As we have become addicted to the constant connectivity social media and the always-at-hand connection cell phones provide, everything has become urgent. Waiting is unimaginable. Not only the ubiquity of these phenomena but also the short-form content they facilitate has amplified our desire for instant validation and gratification.

Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)

FOMO is real, and the pressure to keep up with the achievements and experiences of others is a strong breeding ground for impatience. FOMO compels us to strive for immediate success without taking the time to go through the learning curve and or to consider all ramifications of our actions.

Work Culture

Today’s work culture also has a role to play in creating impatience. Tight schedules, looming deadlines and the constant need to perform elevate stress levels and can trigger impatience as a coping mechanism.

Individual Factors Contributing To Impatience

Our individual temperaments and personality traits are key contributors to predisposing some of us to impatience. Some people are just naturally more impatient than others.

If you inherently have a lower tolerance for delay or frustration, you are likely to experience impatience more frequently than others. Furthermore, cognitive biases, such as the need for control or the illusion of control, can also contribute to impatience.

Further, setting unrealistic goals and chasing unattainable ambitions can lead to frustration brought on by a lack of quick success.

Losing perspective and failing to feel gratitude can also fuel impatience.

The Consequences Of Impatience

Although some people claim they are inspired by the adrenaline rush that impatience can bring on, it has undeniable, long-term, deleterious effects that should not be ignored. These effects can be far-reaching and taint just about every aspect of your life. For example:

• Impatience can strain relationships, as you become irritable and less tolerant of others.

• The quest for quick results may compromise the quality of your work, leading to decreased productivity and dissatisfaction in life.

• Impatience can also contribute to depression, stress, anxiety and other mental health issues, and the physiological toll of stress can manifest in physical health problems.

How To Overcome Impatience

Patient Emotional Intelligence

Recognizing your triggers and behavioral patterns is essential in overcoming impatience. Walking away from situations that make you impatient or taking a pause will allow you to reflect on the moment and foster a calmer mindset. A simple no can often remove you from a situation that you know in advance may cause you to become impatient.

Also, building empathy and compassion toward others fosters emotional intelligence and allows you to understand that the world is not at your beck and call. Just because you have the ability to contact someone instantly does not mean you are entitled to an instant response.

Knowing all this will allow you to “let it go,” while promoting a more patient and understanding outlook toward others.

Realistic Goals

Work to establish achievable goals for yourself and accept that making mistakes along the way is just part of the process. And set realistic timelines instead of setting crushing deadlines.

Appreciate the smaller milestones of success and marvel at your gradual improvements instead of rushing to cross the finish line.

Learning from setbacks and failures is also integral to cultivating a patient nature. When you embrace uncertainty and accept the natural pace of life, it better enables you to navigate challenges with resilience and grace instead of irritation and anger.

Putting The Phone Down

If getting rich and successful were easy, everyone would be rich and successful. However, despite what you see on social media, most people are the same as you and experience similar struggles. The truth of the matter is that very few of us will ever become rich, and if success is not judged solely by the appearances you see on social media, neither will large numbers of us be wildly successful.

In other words, don’t believe what you see and hear. Social media is notorious for its smoke and mirrors, so you shouldn’t feel impatient with yourself for not having the same outstanding outcomes and achievements that so many people online claim to have.

Conclusion

In a world that often demands immediacy, the battle between patience and impatience is ever-present. But by learning and understanding your personal impatience triggers, you can employ strategies that help you overcome them. In doing so, patience will flourish and so will a calmer and more positive outlook on life.

Embracing patience as a virtue is not only a personal triumph but also a powerful tool for navigating the ever-growing complexities of the modern world.

This article was initially published in Forbes