I have had the opportunity lately to grow my patience. Through two means: training a puppy and learning how to golf. These have tested me to the core and I have learned so much.
First off my puppy experience: I did tons of research online for techniques to train dogs. I learned the most when it came time to actually use the techniques with my puppy (his name is Monies). i learned that it isn’t good to react to puppies if they make a mistake. I really learned this when I got frustrated with my dog when he ‘mistaked’ in my house. He took my violent reaction as excitement and was proud the next time he ‘mistaked’, like he left me a present! I had to laugh, and I had to clean. Lesson 1: Patient people don’t react.
Second off golf: I tried so hard to learn golf. I moved around all over, I tried to swing lower, faster, harder, use my hips more, use my arms less, try Tate’s clubs, try Coby’s clubs, try Nike balls, try try try until I decided I couldn’t guess how to golf anymore. So I hired a coach. He knew the principles to golf. He knew exactly what I was doing wrong and how to help me. One specific thing that he taught me was: The game of golf is 90% setup. Before his coaching I was 100% guessing! You must know the setup to do the setup. This coach told me that he saw Vijay Singh take 5 hours to hit a bucket of balls. My game has dramatically improved since learning the principles of a good swing. Lesson 2: Patient people take the time to setup. Setup is 90% of everything.
I love this quote by Bryan Adams: “Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.”
Feedback is so powerful. A good buddy of mine Cary Dortch shared an essay he wrote about and he asked me if I would give him some feedback. I love when people ask for feedback. Cary is a great example of someone who asks for feedback. Those that love feedback love their lives! It takes a confident person to ask for feedback. Feedback is a useful principle that can be used in all areas of life. Few people ask for feedback and even fewer give honest feedback when asked. Honesty is essential to feedback for both parties involved.Honesty to incorporate the potential differing opinion and honesty to share a differing opinion.The people we admire are typically those who give us real feedback. It’s easy to just tell people what we think they want to hear. There is power in honesty, especially when it comes to feedback.