“Why haven’t I achieved my goals yet?”
How often do you find yourself asking that question?
Or maybe these ones, “Why is it taking so much time?” “How much more time will it take?” “How come others are making it so quickly?”
Whether it’s about career, money, fitness, or anything else, it’s normal to get impatient when things don’t happen as fast as we would like.
But impatience with results can make us worry. We start to doubt ourselves, wondering if we’re on the right path or even if we’ve what it takes.
The problem is that we can’t control when we get results. Trying to force things simply leads to frustration.
So, how do you deal with this impatience?
There is a really interesting way that I learned recently:
Be impatient with actions but patient with results.
Instead of getting impatient with results, get impatient with your actions.
And use action as your coping mechanism for your impatience with results.
So, when you feel that you haven’t achieved your goals and it’s taking longer than expected, ask yourself, “Have I done everything I can to get where I want to be?” If not, take the necessary action as quickly as possible.
The great thing about action is that it’s totally in your hands. Want results faster? Do more of what it takes to get there.
For instance, sometimes, I get impatient that I’m not earning as much as I had expected. So, I channel that impatience into action and do what I must do to achieve my goals:
- Learning skills like copywriting, negotiation, and storytelling.
- Finding better clients and serving them in the best possible way.
- Writing on my website and Medium to get more leverage.
And I’ve felt that action is the best antidote for result-related anxiety. It helps you feel more in control and less worried about the future.
So, impatience doesn’t have to be a bad thing. When used the right way, it can be the fire that drives you forward.
Next time you feel impatient about your goals, switch to action mode.