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Are You Patient or Impatient?

By
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty 0575737

Dog BiscuitI used to think my "natural" inclination as an impatient person was an all bad trait.

    Are You Patient Or Impatient?

The reason I thought being impatient and not being a good person at "waiting" in life for things to unfold was that I somehow had held on to some kind of childlike problem with impulse control that I just have not been able to shake as a character defect.

I think almost like Type A and Type B personalities there is a tendency to be more of a patient person or more of an impatient person in our DNA.

BUT,

if you find yourself chastising yourself too often as impatient, note that it really is situational, and oftentimes the IMPATIENT ONE has lots of strong qualities of being patient when they have to. For example in my case

I am HIGHLY impatient with

Tangled fishing string, knots that won't come undone, tangled Christmas lights

Long lines that don't seem to budge in stores

Traffic snarls

Paperwork

Those hard plastic containers around electronics or music that I can't seem to open

Computer problems, electronic equipment malfunctioning, buggy software

People who are jerks, who are lazy, who don't communicate properly or even try to

People who just are bent on refusing to be kind to other people and animals in particular

However, in being patient I have found I am VERY PATIENT

With gardening, and letting plants sprout and blossom

Letting relationships develop at their own pace

Baking/Cooking/Decorating/Creating any kind of project/Writing

Being patient in real estate transactions that just are going to conclude when the time is right

With listening to another's feelings, or story they have to get off their chest

Waiting for miracles to happen and prayers to be answered

Being persistent in solving a tough problem

You see, we ALL are not totally one way or the other although we do get frustrated with ourselves when we find ourselves not being patient in situations that often are OUT OF OUR CONTROL. The key is recognizing the out of control ones, like traffic, and then make the best of them. So good things come to those who wait OR conversely maybe they only get the scraps left over from those who hustle. Neither cliche fits all the time

So are you MAINLY patient or impatient?

Comments (16)

Cindy Marchant
Keller Williams Indy NE 317-290-7775 www.marchantteam.com - Carmel, IN
"Cindy in Indy" , Realtor, Fishers Real Estate

I can definitely see a transition in me over the past few years from inpatient to more patient...but it still depends somewhat on the events immediately preceding ...on how I feel about the current situation. 

Cindy in Indy

Nov 27, 2010 09:40 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Gary, I have tried that with the dog biscuit on my nose---but I can never wait for permission :)

Nov 27, 2010 09:43 AM
Rebecca Gaujot, Realtor®
Lewisburg, WV
Lewisburg WV, the go to agent for all real estate

Gary, as I get older I find I have more patients; and I am not in a hurry I just take my time, breath deeply and do the task at hand.

Nov 27, 2010 09:43 AM
Judith Parker
ProStead Realty - Charlotte, NC
CRS, GRI, CMRS, Charlotte, NC

Hi Gary, at times I can be very patient and at other times not.  It helps me to chill if I know that certain things are out of my control so why lose my cool. 

Nov 27, 2010 09:48 AM
Norma Toering Broker for Palos Verdes and Beach Cities
Charlemagne International Properties - Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Palos Verdes Luxury Homes in L.A.

I hope I have enough of each characteristic for a good balance--I'm not very good at performing rote tasks unless I can get into a Zen-like mental state, then I can do the mind over matter thing with ease.

Nov 27, 2010 09:51 AM
ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779
REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK - Asheville, NC
CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com

Gary~

Thanks for the smile...again...and isn't it amazing to see the patience a dog can provide to a tan-TAIL-izing situation?

Nov 27, 2010 09:53 AM
Jenny Durling
L.A. Property Solutions - Los Angeles, CA
For Los Angeles real estate help 213-215-4758

I'm definitely impatient with traffic and lines and those stupid plastic packages you mentioned too but I think I'm fairly patient when it really counts and involved other people

Nov 27, 2010 10:11 AM
Irene Kennedy Realtor® in Northwestern NJ
Weichert - Lopatcong, NJ

Gary,

I guy I dated (but didn't marry!) jokingly said I had all the patience in the world because I had never used any...  Your correct that it can vary depending on the situation.

Nov 27, 2010 10:14 AM
Eric Kodner
Wayzata Lakes Realty: Eric Kodner Sells Twin Cities Homes - Minnetonka, MN
Wayzata Lakes Realty: Twin Cities, Madeline Island

Gary, if I wasn't patient, I would have washed out in the real estate business years ago!  This is a business that requires patience.

Nov 27, 2010 10:38 AM
William J. Archambault, Jr.
The Real Estate Investment Institute - Houston, TX

Wow Gary,

I don't handel fools or incompents well. I get very impatient with them.

On the other hand I'm much more patient with most than I use to be.

Las Vegas taught me penitence in driving or maybe it's just that I haven't had a car with over 300 horse power in 25 years.

Regarding "Baking/Cooking/Decorating/Creating any kind of project/Writing"  I'm very patient until the food begins to smell good or the idea gets fleshed out. I love Dale Brown's books I can be patient for weeks or months reading the first four to six chapters then I can't put them down.

Not only are we not just one way or another, but in many areas we evolve.

Bill

Regardless, I miss those big V-8's!

Nov 27, 2010 11:10 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Gary, that would be a tough one. I am darn impatient... and I often think of it as a flaw. But it is situational, and as Eric said, I would not be in this business if I were impatient in everything.

I also have tons of patience in doing difficult transactions, and pride myself on closing some, which not many agents would have closed...

I feel better after your post.

Nov 27, 2010 01:42 PM
Russell Lewis
Realty Austin, Austin Texas Real Estate - Austin, TX
Broker,CLHMS,GRI

Gary, I am so glad you gave us options on things about which we can be Either/Or because there are more than a few things with which I can be impatient HOWEVER I have really learned to be a lot more patient withpretty much everything over the years!

Nov 28, 2010 09:30 AM
Anna Matsunaga
Team Momentum Keller Williams Realty Tacoma - Lakewood, WA
Seller specialist, Certified Negotiation Expert

Hmmm Gary, now I know one of the reasons I love to read your things and like you even though we have never met.  I am patient in the same ways as you are and impatient in the same ways as well.

Nov 28, 2010 12:22 PM
Sharon Lee
Sharon Lee's Virtual Assistance - Jonesborough, TN
Retired and loving life

Hi Gary-Great list. I am patient in similar areas but I do have areas where my patience is shorter. I have less patience when I am not feeling well.

Nov 28, 2010 01:36 PM
Donne Knudsen
Los Angeles & Ventura Counties in CA - Simi Valley, CA
CalState Realty Services

Gary - I have found that the older I get the more patient I become with waiting for important stuff.  However, on the flip side, I find I have become more impatient with nonsense and stupidity.  LOL

Nov 29, 2010 09:08 AM
Debbie Summers
Charles Rutenberg Realty - New Smyrna Beach, FL

Gary - I'm working on being more patient... Traffic is often times what gets to me the most, folks that are texting, talking and reading when they should be paying attention to the road.  I'm committed to not touching my phone while driving and paying attention to what's going on around me.  

Dec 02, 2010 01:08 PM