Patience – Could this be the key to enjoying life?

Life lessons from a two-year-old – Part 2  

I told you about my friend and his 18-month-old daughter last week. I mentioned that we caught up for lunch and this being his first child, I asked him what she had taught him about life? 

I said that I had really liked his answer. 

That in actual fact, he gave me two answers. The first I have already shared with you. That was the timely reminder that, it’s nice to share. This week I would like to share with you the second thing he told me. 

He said – she has taught me patience. 

I also really liked this thought and felt this deserved a little more focus. 

Patience is an interesting concept. 

On the one hand we need to get going with our life, seize the day and recognise that there may be no tomorrow. If you are currently between the age of 25 or 50 and want to wake your mark on the world before you turn 55 you may be surprised to see how few months you actually have left. Not as many as you might think!

Now that realisation will encourage you to do more. Not make the mistake of putting off until tomorrow what we can do today etc, etc. All of which is of course valid. You should live each day as though it could be your last, but you should also continue to plan as though you will live forever. And that’s where patience becomes important. 

Be clear on what it is you want to have in your life and then just move progressively towards it. Do not set yourself a deadline and do not fret about the rate of your progress. As long as you have forward momentum you will be right, after all it’s the journey rather than the destination that counts. 

If my friend Stuart (his real name) were to become impatient with his young daughter and her progress in any aspect of her young life he would break a sacred bond. And to what avail? His wanting an outcome within a timeframe, is irrelevant as he soon realised. Once he simply let go of any expectation around time and leaned into simply enjoying the journey, he was able to appreciate the time with his daughter much more. It became a much richer experience for both. 

Life is no different, if we are patient with our progress, in the knowledge that once we have set our intention, and no one can take away, delay, or stop what is ours from eventually coming - we can begin to smell the roses and find our bliss. 

Who would have thought that this two-year-old had so much to teach us? 

Maybe that’s a final point worth noting. We should all allow ourselves to be genuinely influenced and changed by our children. Don’t just open yourself up to what they have to teach you but actually expect them to teach you more than you can teach them. Your life should be profoundly changed by the insights your children expose you to, and, in turn, they will be much more open to your influence on them. I say this in the knowledge that the best way to influence someone is to be influenced by them.

All the best

P.S: If you want a full list of our recommended behaviours, what we call our A to Z of life, the secret behaviours of those that go on to live a remarkable as opposed to an ordinary life, visit us at  www.lachlancameron.com. 

P.S.S: If you would like to go in the draw for this month’s X then simply Y