Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 189 – Patient Persistence

[Mahler]

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 189 – Patient Persistence

Patient Persistence

I am perhaps the least patient person I know. I positively hate waiting in a line. I abhor sitting in traffic. People who take their good old time annoy me to no end.

When I see something I like, I am an impulse buyer and want my needs fulfilled right then and there. This revelation just might surprise a few of you, my readers.

I point this major character flaw out to you because I have discovered a few instances where patience has really paid off especially when coupled with another of my character traits, persistence. I find that one of the most difficult things for me to do is to give up and walk away from just about anything. Believe me, that doesn’t help when having an argument with my wife.

Over the weekend, I became engaged in a rather interesting e-mail exchange with a person I do not even know. He had posted on a forum and his post, at least in my eyes, had all the earmarks of a troll looking for some action. So I posted a disparaging comment after a long line of thrusts and parries by other members. My comment apparently struck a nerve, because the next time I logged on there was an unfamiliar e-mail populating my in-box. After a virus scan, I opened the message.

Without going into detail, suffice it to say that there were a number of exchanges and I received more than a few pretty insulting messages. I don’t know what prompted my action, but I decided with the first message not to lash out and to be patient and to work with the guy. With each exchange there was new information and even a few more rough spots, but rather than just ignoring the mail or blocking it, I decided that persistence would be my course of action. I would not let the initial misunderstanding derail me and I would let patience rule my thoughts. By the end of our cyber discussion, I truthfully thought and still think that I will soon be able to call this person a friend.

The easiest course of action is no action at all. To give up or walk away simply removes us from the source of our problems, but solves nothing. We can apply these lessons to a variety of areas in our lives. In our training, when we approach a particularly tough routine, hit a plateau or fail to reach a goal, it would be so easy to give up, to move on to something else and leave that problem behind and block it out. What would we have accomplished?

There is little doubt in my mind that through patience and persistence there are many mountains we can climb, not always with great strides, but with a steady pace that will get us there just the same. Patience and persistence go hand in hand. There is an old adage that “good things come to those who wait.” But, if all you do is wait; if all you do is fail to act, you will soon find that your patience has bred stagnation. However, if you persist in your attempts, your patience will see you moving ever closer to your goals.

It is quite easy to see that the opposite is true as well. If we are persistent in attaining anything, but not willing to be patient, we are courting disaster. Some things just take time and no amount of persistence is going to get us there any faster and, in fact, may set us back if we are not careful.

Patience and persistence are a happy couple, each gaining strength from the other and each giving meaning to the other. For patience without persistence is meaning without action and persistence without patience is action without meaning.

Thank you, my friend, for a lesson in patience and persistence.

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Have a Great Week!

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[Chrisatc]

I came back to a message board after a layoff and found some disturbing moves and opinions being posted on training. My concern was not for the person doing them, but for the newbies that would come on, see that stuff and do it. (Physioball squats, while standing on them) was one of them.

I had quite a long "fight" with the original poster, with them getting quite irate and citing their "professional sources".

They never changed their stance for doing them, but I was able to diffuse the possibility of someone new coming on looking for new stuff and trying it. Needless to say, the person I "fought" with and I are friends now. They know, however, to be careful of what they post.

[liftintexas]

Good stuff, John. Easier to make an instant judgment and throw people into neat little boxes. Excellent reminder.

[Deserve]

Pateince is a virtue. Good message John.

[ninja]

as always

[Lost Dog]

I'll assume this was motivating. It was so long, I just gave up...

[Mahler]

Roland,
Are you suffering from A.D.D. ?

Here's a tee-shirt for you.

[Lost Dog]

Ok, that's funny.

[kingkop182]

Thanks for the message, John.

It reminds me of a classmate I had at University, he initially put his studies on hold in the final year because of family problems. The next year he was so broke he worked 3 jobs and didn't have time to study as hard as he should have and thus decided not to sit the end of year exams.

I found out last month that he's finally graduated (with 1st class honours). He may be 2 1/2 years behind the rest of the class but he's about to get a graduate job at Nike. Persistence and patience paying a nice dividend for him.

[gregl515]

Thanks John. I am extremely impatient. It is often hard for me to listen to someone without screaming "Get to the point!" However, I try to apply what Gustave Flaubert said about women to people in general, "You can have any woman if you are willing to listen to them long enough." I have found that if you truly listen to people and try to address their arguments thoughtfully, you can come to some kind of resolution. I try to do that. It sounds like that is exactly what you are able to do.

[RacerBill]

Nice job. Too many motivational messages (like those cheesy posters) tend to focus on one quality, which often cheapens the message. How easy it is to forget that we need multiple things in balance before the goal can be accomplished.

[Jean-Paul]

John, I always wondered how you and Nick came to be friends!

[jj]

Great post John, patience is always a great virtue. I have a ton of patience, its the persistence I have a problem with.

[Deserve]

Originally Posted by Mahler

Roland,
Are you suffering from A.D.D. ?

Here's a tee-shirt for you.

I need the shirt.

[GG300]

Thanks John.

[ninja]

Originally Posted by Jean-Paul

John, I always wondered how you and Nick came to be friends!

not funny

[grepat]

This was a great reminder, so thanks mahler!

My personality is black or white with respect to patience & persistence. I'm either grotesquely patient/persistent but just as easily I could turn around and walk away. It really depends on the situation. Certain people bring it out of me at both ends of the spectrum. This post just raised the 'internal flag' to be P & P more often. If I'd put as much effort into some aspects of life like I do exercise, I'd be better off I think! Again, thanks for the reminder!