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We’ve all heard, at one time or another, the old adage “Patience is a virtue”. Sure, it’s virtuous to be patient but to learn patience is no different than adding a new skill to your personal repretroire.

The Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings traced the origin of this infamous proverb to an allegorical narrative called Piers Plowman by William Langland and it happens to be similiar to the Latin saying, Maxima enim..patientia virtus (Patience is the greatest virtue).

As with all things, impatience is not always immediately recognizable. Rather, we tend to rush things through so as to appease the part of ourselves that loves the end result to happen now, not then, but right now. This is where patience comes in and gently reminds us, “Look, you might not already see what’s to come, the end result, whatever, but that’s okay, it’ll be worth the wait.” However, just when you think you have a good grasp of it, it can easily slip through your fingers, fall through the cracks or hide under the rug (right next to that flattened piece of ABC gum) and only then you’ll realize it’s importance.

No one likes an impatient person. If you were to poll a thousand people from various ethnic, age and geographical backgrounds, you’d find that a great majority of these people if asked, “Do you like an impatient person?” would all have the same answer. It’s a no-brainer, but it’s amazing how many impatient souls are out there in the real world.

Next time you don’t get that Frizzo Latte Supreme in under 3 minutes or if that guy behind the counter at the store is moving at a snails pace, just remember that patience really is the greatest virtue. It’s something on a daily basis that I have to remind myself to embrace it’s importance and utilize it’s strengths.