CHARLOTTE, N.C. — I've always been an impatient person, and there was actually a time in my life when my impatience was off the charts.
I remember when I wanted something, I wanted it, and I went after it relentlessly. This approach was also damaging, because if I didn't get what I wanted, I grew sour, pouty and cold. As you can imagine, I probably wasn't the best person to be around if I didn't get my way. Today, honestly, I can say this is not the person I am anymore.
My lifestyle of impatience was destroyed after I became a husband, father and entrepreneur. It changed because I acknowledged that life has a way of building great things in the waiting. This is why the microwave was such a key element in creating a visual to explain the process of not desiring to wait on something.
When the microwave was invented, it allowed people to have their food of choice at a faster, more efficient way. In the meantime, it subconsciously created a new norm within us, which suggests if appetite could be quenched quickly with food, why can't our appetite for success be just as quick?
This is where the problem lies within so many of us. We must understand that lasting things take time to build.
Imagine building your dream home. You have the blueprints, you find the land, and you're ready to break ground. The builder comes to you and says they can build the house within two weeks but they're not sure if the structure will stand firm. Or, they can take several months building to ensure the structure is sound and are confident you are pleased with the overall design.
Which would you choose? I don't know anyone who would opt for two weeks versus several months. Why? Because our patience ensures that the waiting process will deliver something that lasts the test of time. When we are willing to wait on certain things, it's in that process that the waiting is the key element to receiving the best.
So the next time you use the microwave, appreciate the invention, but never allow it to become the way you operate.
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