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I often encounter people who want short solutions and easy answers to tough questions.
Sometimes the answer is easy, though putting it into practice is hard.
Sometimes it’s not. Sometimes nothing is easy.
We humans don’t excel at patience. We’ve changed. We went from farming our own land and waiting for things to grow to sitting in a cube, ordering take-out and speeding down highways in search of our next adventure.
Our lives are fast-paced, exciting and hectic. Many of us just don’t know how to slow down.
Sometimes, there are no easy answers. There is no easy solution.
Sometimes, all there is to do is work, wait, work some more, and wait some more.
We marketers run campaigns in hopes of increasing monthly sales, expecting leads and closed deals to pour in as soon as we stuff people’s mailboxes with our messages. We jump and we expect the same in return when we come calling.
We suck at waiting
We’re not good at giving without expecting something in return. It’s hard and it’s not a talent we’re born with. However, our need for a semi-immediate gratification has caused issues across industries and time.
We don’t want to put in years of practice anymore. If we pick up a guitar, we want to be Jimi Hendrix tomorrow. If we’re not? We tend to give up. If we send an email out about a gig, we want people to buy tickets right then, even if we’re unknown. We expect things to happen just because we start trying to make them happen. We want them now.
This problem is sometimes seen as generation – namely with Millennials.
But the problem is really far more widespread than that.
Record execs want to see the band they just picked up start cranking out the hits as soon as the put them in the studio. Marketers want to see 10,000 Twitter followers and sales pouring in within weeks of setting up an account.
Over and over we see the need for instant gratification manifest itself. In our personal lives, in our professional lives, in our buying behavior and in our tolerance for imperfection.
Patience is a worthy skill
I’ll admit that I’m not the world’s most patient person. Anyone that knows me personally can attest to that fact within 2 seconds flat. However, it’s a skill I’m working on cultivating.
I’m learning to forgive myself when a new recipe doesn’t turn out exactly as intended the first time. I’m learning that some books take longer to read than just a few hours. I’m learning that some bands sound better on a second, third, or even fourth listen. I’m learning that writing a blog post sometimes takes weeks – not just minutes or hours.
Now – I’m not saying that patience is an excuse for removing yourself from a position of ownership in your life. Patience requires work. It requires hustlin’, day in and day out – sometimes for years.
Patience requires risk. It requires a view of the long-term, and a strategic view of where things are going.
So record exec, push that new band to have a hit – but don’t drop them like a bad date if they stumble along the way. Marketers, send those emails, but work on what goes into them and don’t pester people.
Instant gratification is safe. If you don’t see a return right now, no biggie. The money you spent now was less than the money you could have spent over the long-term, and you always have time to make more. If you don’t waste time practicing a skill, you have time to develop other skills which require less work and may provide that immediate return.
Some things just require work. They require work and they require patience. Sometimes it’s 10,000 hours – and sometimes it’s a lifetime.
Embrace patience
Patience goes hand in hand with diversity in business. Plan for long-term growth, but make some savvy short-term moves to keep you on the right path while things develop.
Patience is essential in cultivating relationships. Saying hello is the first step to a “how ya doin’?”, and that greeting could grow into a fruitful relationship or your biggest fan.
By all means, hustle. Work your ass off. But don’t give up. Work through the rough periods, celebrate the successes, and hang in through the failures. Have patience.
Help bring patience back to you life, and let’s all help bring patience back to the world. There’s something to be said for seeing the fruits of your labor develop over time – whether it’s a plant, a piece of music, or a relationship.