The True Power of Impatience

Often given bad press I have recently had an interesting conversation with a very tenacious, ambitious and self-confessed “impatient” entrepreneur and coaching client.

The topic was essentially based around the frustration and stress being caused by her impatience and the concerns she had as to why she was the only one wanting things done so quickly. There was certainly some suggestion that being impatient in nature was a burden and not an asset.

Here are just some of the thoughts I shared with her around the true power of being an impatient person.

• Impatience helps create patience.
  • By being self-aware and knowing when you are feeling the impatience welling up inside of you, you can self-assess whether this is an appropriate time to stop and apply some constraint, practice or “flex” your patience muscle. Like all traits, patience can be practiced, enhanced and perfected. The trick is being self-aware that you are in an impatient state and whether this is an appropriate to practice some constraint and being more patient.
• Impatience is a fuel to drive ACTION
  • Just like FEAR – EXCITEMENT – STRESS – PASSION, impatience can be harnessed and used to drive action. I have often seen action take as a direct result of impatience. Just getting something done is often the best cause of action. Impatience is a great driver in this regard.
• Impatience will look after your most valued asset. TIME
  • Time is our most valuable asset – and is one of the key drivers for impatient people. Impatient people simply recognise and work with time in a more valued way than some others. Wanting to get things done both sooner and faster once it has been started.

Impatient people have a great deal to offer in life and in business generally. From driving action, to expediting results and helping others to make the very best use of theirs and everyone’s time. The first part in recognising this beneficial trait is to know you have it and when you are using it. Never temper your impatience, it can and should be considered an asset when used in the right way.

Of course, this article has been shared simply to balance out against some of the disadvantages of impatience which are more commonly known and understood.

Are you an impatient person? Or maybe you know someone who is impatient.

How do you manage this interesting character trait?