How to Be More Patient: 8 Strategies for Success in Business and Life
Hi there! As an healing and leadership coach, I’ve seen how impatience can hurt both your work and personal life. It can lead to bad decisions, stress, and dissatisfaction.
Today, I want to talk about why we get impatient and share tips on becoming more patient. This is crucial for business success and a better quality of life. First, we will discuss the reasons why we are impatient and then explore how we can become more patient while waiting to see our desired results.
Why Are We Impatient?
We’ve all had moments when we acted like one of the spoiled kids in the Willy Wonka movie. We all want things to happen instantly. That’s normal! Now, let’s explore four reasons why we struggle with patience.
#1 Reason: We Like Having Fun!
- Immediate Gratification: We often want quick rewards instead of waiting for long-term benefits. This is tied to our brain’s reward system. For example, getting a phone notification gives us a quick pleasure boost. In business, this might look like wanting instant results from a marketing campaign.
- Stress and Anxiety: When you are already juggling too many balls in the air, you may not want to deal with unfinished business. The stress from doing too much can make our patience drop. When anxious, we may rush to fix situations to ease discomfort. For example, if a business deal drags on, anxiety might push us to settle quickly, leading to poor decisions as well as other health problems.
- Perception of Time: Time seems to fly when we’re enjoying something but drags when we’re bored or waiting. This can make us impatient during slow moments, like waiting for client responses or project results.
#2 Reason Why We're Impatient: Our Ancestors Used Impatience to Survive Scary Things
- Survival Mechanism: Our ancestors needed to act quickly to survive, avoiding danger and securing resources. Even though we live in a modern society, this wiring is still built into us. This need for speed can still make us impatient today.
- Resource Acquisition: Early humans who acted quickly to secure resources were more likely to survive and pass on their traits. That food source or quality space can and will be taken up if you don’t act quickly. This mindset can explain why we feel urgency in competitive business environments.
#3 Reason Why We’re Impatient: Blame Google and Social Media
- Modern Society and Technology: Today’s fast-paced world and instant access to information make us expect quick results. Think how you found this article. You simply searched for “how to be patient” and this as well as millions of other posts was served to you within seconds. So when it is normal to get with slow websites or delayed replies. In business, the pressure for fast results can lead to impatience.
- Social Comparisons: Seeing others achieve success quickly can make us impatient with our own progress. Social media often shows others’ highlights, making us feel like we’re not moving fast enough.
Are you impatient?
— Denise G. Lee (@DeniseGLee) September 3, 2024
I know I am.
You're probably reading this, waiting for me to get to the point already. There is too much content to read on this platform.
Society has trained us to be impatient, if you ask me.
From Amazon's 24-hour delivery to instant streaming and loan… pic.twitter.com/xEb6cwlAy6
#4 Reason Why We’re Impatient: Our Brains Are Wired To Want Rewards
Cognitive and Neurological Factors
- Executive Functioning: Our ability to delay gratification is linked to brain functions. Differences in this area can affect our patience. Someone with better impulse control might be more patient.
- Reward System: Brain chemicals like dopamine affect how we perceive rewards. A strong reaction to rewards can make us impatient, making the wait for a business milestone feel unbearable.
Traumatic Events and Their Impact on Patience
8 Effective Tips on How to Be More Patient
Now that we know why we’re impatient, here are some ways to become more patient, especially in business. As you read through each tip, see which one makes you want to do it the least – that’s probably the area you need to focus on the most.
Patience Tip #1: Think Big Vision
Having a clear long-term vision helps you stay patient when things don’t go as planned. This will help you stay focused on the bigger picture and not get frustrated by short-term setbacks. Knowing where you want to go in the long run can keep you motivated and patient.
Ready to think big? Here are some steps that will help you:
- Think about your big goals and what you want to achieve in the future. Also, include why these goals matter to you. Connect your passions to your intentions.
- Next, write these goals down and keep them somewhere you can see them every day. I highly recommend keeping a business journal as well.
- Keep your mind focused on what matters most. For example, when you face challenges or delays, remind yourself of these long-term goals.
Patience Tip #2: Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is not just about walking on coals, listening to singing bowls, or chanting. It’s about allowing yourself to actually sit in the discomfort. The process of learning to be still will help you stay present and reduce impatience. When you focus on the current moment, you don’t have the bandwidth to worry about the past or future.
Techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and mindful walking can help. Also, listening to high-frequency music or using mindfulness apps like Headspace or Calm can offer guided meditations to practice staying in the moment.
When you have your stuff in order, you are not quick to panic because you already have a plan in place to cover delays or setbacks.
Patience Tip #3: Develop a Growth Mindset
Too many of us want stuff like yesterday. We think we can leap, fly, and soar above things that seem challenging. That’s not how life works. Everything you experience is an opportunity to test your mettle not just as a business owner but as a human being.
Learn to see your obstacles as opportunities to be a better person. Often, we can’t see it because our mind is tied to wanting instant rewards, but things of value take time.
Think about all the years it took for you to learn how to grow your business, get an education, raise a family, or any other event that was important to you. If it was easy to obtain, it simply doesn’t hold as much meaning. Growth is a process that requires seeing how you learned to fight through the delays.
Patience Tip #4: Improve Your Time Management
Let’s be real about something. You may have little to no patience because you have little to no tasks. And that is no bueno. Good time management reduces stress and impatience.
When you have your stuff in order, you are not quick to panic because you already have a plan in place to cover delays or setbacks. This is where you learn to prioritize tasks, set deadlines, and stick to a schedule that makes sense for you in your current life. Tools like calendars, task lists, and project management software can help.
Consider techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working in focused intervals with short breaks.
Patience Tip #5: Seek Support and Delegate
Impatience can stem from feeling overwhelmed. Trying to do it all may have become natural to you as you were trying to grow your business from nothing. You didn’t have the budget to hire a marketing manager, operations director, or copywriter. You had to do it all. As you became more exposed to new opportunities, you might feel stressed that you cannot grow and expand faster. If that’s you, time to slow your roll and ask for help.
Seek support from colleagues, mentors, or a coach like myself. Also, learn to offload some tasks to manage your workload better. If you can’t hire someone full-time, hire a freelancer for one-off projects. Also, having competent help can give you ideas that you may not have even considered that can save you time and money.
Patience Tip #6: Embrace Delays as Opportunities
Instead of seeing delays as problems, view them as chances to make things better and come up with new ideas. When a project takes longer than expected, use this extra time to review your work and find ways to improve it. Think about how you can make the final result even better.
Delays can also give you time to think of new ideas or solutions that you might not have considered if you were rushing.
For example, I had a delay with a marketing campaign I was dead set on completing. It was expensive and there were many delays. While looking for a solution to one particular problem tied to the marketing campaign, I discovered something simpler and cheaper to implement. This helped me realize I was placing too much energy into something unnecessary for my business at this stage of growth.
Patience Tip #7: Practice Gratitude
Have you ever talked with someone who is unhappy? All they do is talk about all the things that are not happening in their life. And gosh – that vibe is not only low but it prevents them from seeing the good things they already have. When you focus on what you have, you appreciate it and increase your chances of more good things manifesting in your life.
But how do you cultivate more positivity? Great question! One way is by keeping a gratitude journal. Write down a few things each day that you are thankful for. These can be big things, like your family and friends, or small things, like a sunny day or a good cup of coffee.
I have a journal app on my phone where I jot down all my wins – big or small. Regularly reminding yourself of what you are grateful for can shift your mindset and help you appreciate your current situation more, making you less impatient for future results.
Patience Tip #8: Learn from Role Models
None of us can really inspire ourselves. The reason is that all of us are in some stage of development and growth. You have to look to someone who has been there and done what you are trying to achieve.
I remember my mentor saying his grandmother had a common phrase, “Child, I am coming back from where you are headed.” In other words, she lived to tell the tale of her trials and difficulties.
Learning from others failures is a cheaper and easier than making mistakes
Question for you – who is mentoring you? If nobody, now is the time to look up to successful people who show patience in their journey. Read about their stories or watch interviews with them.
My podcast guests have amazed me in terms of their courage, resilience, and vulnerability. You need to find someone who you connect with the best. These role models can be business leaders, athletes, or anyone who has achieved success through hard work and patience.
Pay attention to how they dealt with challenges and delays. Learning from others failures is cheaper and easier than making your own mistakes. Use their experiences to help you become more patient and persistent. By following their examples, you can learn to adopt similar traits and apply them to your own life.
Next, let’s take these tips and see how they can help you become a more patient business owner.
Patience, like everything else, comes through intention. Your intention must be focused on enjoying the present moment because the past is gone and the future has yet to arrive."
Examples of Patience in Action
Head knowledge is nothing without application. Here are three examples of patience in action.
Sarah’s Startup Journey: Sarah expected quick success for her tech startup. When things moved slowly, she made hasty decisions. By setting realistic goals and practicing mindfulness, she learned patience and her startup grew steadily.
Tom’s Marketing Campaign: Tom launched a marketing campaign and felt frustrated when results were slow. After consulting his team, he gave the campaign more time, made adjustments, and it eventually succeeded.
Linda’s Customer Relations: Linda dealt with an angry client and initially wanted to resolve the issue quickly. By practicing active listening and empathy, she turned a dissatisfied customer into a loyal one.
My tips on how to be more patient are include the image below. Next, I will share my final thoughts.
Final Thoughts
Patience, like everything else, comes through intention. Your intention must be focused on enjoying the present moment because the past is gone and the future has yet to arrive. Focus on doing what you can now and don’t worry about what has or will happen next.
If you’re struggling with impatience and need guidance, I invite you to work with me. As a life coach for business owners, I can help you develop the skills and mindset needed to achieve your goals patiently and effectively.
Also, listen to this episode from my entrepreneur podcast on how to make the best use of your time.
