Don’t Be Fooled. Impatience Can Also Be A Virtue.

If you want to make big changes, it’s not always a bad thing.

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. — Alan Watts

I sometimes get a bad rap for being impatient.

It’s hard to wait when you’re sure of what you want or what you need to do.

But in the quest for inner peace and building a daily meditation practice centered around starting the day with a calm and relaxed mindset, I’m tormented.

How do you dial down the habit and high energy of impatience when you’re simultaneously trying to accomplish goals you’ve so carefully designed?

There are times you need to keep the pedal to the metal, unleash your impatience, allow it to run free like a cheetah, and pull you across the finish line.

It’s an emotional, productivity driver, and for some things and some people…it works.

Here’s a new way to look at the gift of impatience and use it for good, just in case you’re trying to dial it down.

Impatient people get shit done

There it is, plain and simple. I’m all for seeking peace and living in a calm state, but when there is a task at hand, an idea to be fleshed out, or a thing to do, impatient people are all over it.

They see no barriers of time, distance, or opportunity. It’s go time.

If you need shit to get done, you’re in good hands with an impatient person. It’s happening, it’s not being planned to happen.

They keep the urgent stuff top of mind

Being a little impatient lends itself to staying somewhat mired in the situation at hand. While that’s not good one hundred percent of the time, there are times it’s a real blessing.

Impatience does require focus so you don’t run yourself over in your haste. When you’re going fast down a highway, you have to keep your eyes on the road, all the while knowing exactly where you’re going.

There’s no thought of taking a detour or finding an exit ramp to get back home.

They’re on time

Impatience is a virtue that pretty much guarantees you’re never going to be late. Always ready and waiting for others, impatient people may be annoying as they wait in the car, but one thing is for sure, you’ll always have a good seat, never have to wait in line, or ever have the embarrassment of walking in late.

To these souls, there is no such thing as fashionably late either. It’s anxiety-inducing and just not worth the social points you get.

Besides, that idea was likely created by someone who is always late and trying to make excuses for why it’s fashionable.

They have a sense of urgency for others as well as themselves

You want the impatient guy or gal on your team, in your friend group, or your family. They not only get their shit done, but they’re always at the ready to set your task list on fire as well.

This is great for those that procrastinate, wallow in self-doubt or fear, or are lacking motivation. Find yourself a nice, impatient person and pull them into your circle.

They may be just what you need to help get things going.

They push projects forward when others are resting

No rest for the wicked, or the impatient. While the rest of the world is taking time off, they aren’t. In the heat of the task at hand, you better believe they’re makin’ hay while the sun is shinin’…and even when it’s not.

These people are changemakers because they don’t fall victim to societal norms that keep most people coloring in the lines and living the status quo.

They disregard timelines, quitting time, weekends, or rest in pursuit of what needs to happen.

There’s no point to relax or in dragging something out, it’s hard for them to rest anyway until the thing is done.

You may be thinking there are some valid points for why being impatient is an undesirable trait, and you’d be right.

Things like:

It’s pushy and annoying

It’s unrealistic

Impatient people don’t always think things through

They move too quickly and thus can make bad decisions

All valid, yes, but if the goal is to accomplish something, the risk of being annoying to others, embracing a bit of a dreamer mindset, and possibly even being wrong, impatience still wins the day.

Sure, there are times the impatient soul will get it wrong in their haste, but they will also quickly adapt to the misfire. They’ll be just as impatient to pivot and adapt as they were in the first place.

They’ll waste no time on evaluating. It’s time to adjust the plan.

While patience is truly a virtue, there are definitely times that being impatient is a very useful and productive quality.

As with everything, know when to unleash it and when to keep it under control. After all, a watched pot never boils. There are those times too, and that needs to be acknowledged. Not everything can be impatiently pushed.

Harness it and tap into it when it can actually help you, and breathe deeply when patiently waiting is a foregone conclusion.

There’s room for both.

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