An art dealer is one of my mentors. For him, mediaeval art is his area of expertise. When we last met, he showed me a portion of his private collection that he had brought with him. I was astounded by the scope of the collection and inquired as to the length of time it had taken to amass. When I looked surprised, he laughed and said, “45 years.” He went on to say: “You can’t buy this all at once.” It’s not like a trip to IKEA in that respect. It takes time to accumulate anything of value in life. For starters, it’s impossible for you to buy everything all at once. Secondly, there is a limit to what you can get your hands on. If you’re going to succeed, you have to be patient.
One of the most difficult aspects of life is waiting. There are many examples of people who waited for the right opportunity to come their way. The financial crisis began in 2008 when investors began to buy stocks and real estate. That downturn lasted for a long time. Someone who invested a significant portion of his wealth in the stock market between 2009 and 2011 recently came to my attention. Most of his money was saved up before the financial crisis. Not because he saw it coming, but rather because he had no idea what to do when subprime mortgages went bust. Because of this, he devoted his time to learning about financial markets. He didn’t keep up with the market, either. Because “the economy is great,” he decided to save his money rather than invest it. That’s a far cry from what most people do in the midst of good fortune. When the economy is improving, we tend to believe that now is the time to make purchases and make investments. We have faith in the market and are optimistic about the future. As a result, what should we do now? We’re always on the lookout for “good” deals. Everyone becomes a part-time investor in the process. Even worse, we make bad choices without consulting any books on investing or seeking advice from anyone who knows what they’re doing. In the twenty-first century, it’s pretty much become the norm.
Author and mentor to Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, penned the following in 1949: “Realists sell to optimists and buy from realists, according to the adage, the smart investor is a realist. “O, to put it another way, the long-term investor always comes out ahead.
Patience
Even if you don’t plan on making a fortune, it’s essential to your well-being. Impatience is one of your greatest enemies if you want to learn new skills and produce high-quality work. One of the greatest artists in history, Leonardo da Vinci was acutely aware of the perils of impatience. Ostinato rigore, or “tenacious application” in English, is Leonardo’s motto, according to Robert Greene’s book Mastery. He reminded himself to approach each project with the same vigour and tenacity that he always showed every time he worked on it. Leonardo paid attention to the tiniest details in all of his projects. That necessitates endurance.
Pain can be a source of pleasure.
So, how do you use patience in your daily life? I’ve found it helpful to adopt Leonardo’s frame of mind. Your work isn’t good work if you don’t put in the effort. That’s a great way to keep track of your progress each day. And journaling is an essential tool for that. Providing you with daily feedback is the most effective method I can think of. Having a mentor is very close to achieving this goal. However, the problem is that you often can’t speak to your mentor every day. However, your journal is always there. While working toward a goal, improving yourself, and living a better life can sometimes feel like a race against time. Things can’t move fast enough for your book, your presentation, or the company you’re starting. When it comes to making things happen quickly, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, this is one of the primary reasons for people and businesses to innovate.
However, we must distinguish between a sincere desire to succeed and a hurried attitude. You benefit more from the former and suffer more damage to your creative abilities from the latter.
In the words of Robert Greene’s book Mastery: “Your impatience, the almost inevitable desire to speed up the process, express something, and make a splash, is the greatest impediment to creativity. “It’s rare to see such large splats. There is no such thing as overnight success. When we get impatient, we need to remind ourselves of this. Every aspirational person has experienced this. This isn’t a problem for those who never do anything with their lives. Only those who put in the effort will succeed. Take a closer look at it. If you’ve worked hard enough to get to this point, don’t jeopardise your progress by trying to go too fast. Spend more time on your projects. It’s something to be proud of. If we want to do truly great work, we need to do it this way.
