Day 14
Today’s Takeaway: The importance of patience and how I’m learning to have some.
Oh patience, how you elude me.
That’s right, I’m a serious contender for the title of “most impatient person in the world.” It’s really a wonder how I get through a day. The funny thing is, I’m SUPER selective and kind of irrational, with my impatience.
Things I am patient about:
I coach my sons 2nd grade basketball team. Every parent on that team has said some version of “I can’t believe you have the patience for this. I could never.”
I love Lego. I will sit there for hours, happily putting hundreds of tiny bricks together. I actually find it soothing.
I develop and host game nights at work. Wrangling tons of personalities and directing them to one task. I LOVE IT!
I was an executive assistant for most of my career. Do you know how many RIDICULOUS requests I got?! Didn’t even phase me.
I work from home while simultaneously raising two humans. Nuff said.
Things I’m impatient about:
My husband cooking dinner or doing ANY chore that I feel I’d be doing better. (Control problem? Yeah. But I’m also impatient about it. My poor husband - ❤️ you Sean Leary)
Fitness & weight loss - “I ate great for 24hrs and worked out once, why don’t I look different?!” (All of us, amirite? 🤦♀️)
Being late for ANYTHING! This is where the irrational rage monster really comes out in me. Literally name something I would dread doing, I’ll be there 5 minutes early for it.
My career.
It’s that last one we are focusing on today. With my career goals I have ZERO patience. If I put hours into a pitch or idea, I want that thing to take off the next day, or even hours later. If I post something I’m immediately anxious waiting for the views to tick up. (While also basing all my self-worth on the speed at which that happens.)
The worst though is what I call “impatient excitement.” This is where I have an idea that I get so excited about that I hit the ground running before fully flushing it out. Not going to lie, most of the time this works to my advantage. I’m so energized and eager that I’m highly productive and in effect get results quickly. Employers dream right here!
Every so often though, it bites me. That impatient excitement turns into unhealthy fixation. I can’t step away from that idea until it has been brought to my standard of completion. Which is always changing. When I started this blog, I made a promise to be honest, real and raw about each takeaway. Today this is what I felt. The need to confront, what I believe, was one of the major contributors to my burn-out.
I know I’m not alone.
I want this sabbatical to mean something for my life and to possibly affect real change in others. Not that I will be “cured” after 2 months, but it’s a start. What do they say in AA? The first step in any recovery is admitting you have a problem.
Here I am ✋… On to step 2. ❤️
