Photo taken by my step-father in the summer of 2015.
This past week I was reading an article by Milllennial Money Man (M$M) about Patience. He used a great personal story about how some months there is lots of growth with his blog and some months, there is no growth. He also says that he has some articles that are a hit and some articles that are a flop. He used a great example of how people can get bogged down on trying to make a quick buck. They try those late night infomercials and all they get is run into the mud. So based on this article, I want to pose a question. How can we continue to strive for something, if we don't see the reward?
Patience
I have always been the patient one in my relationship with my wife and I. But sometimes there can be things that make it tough to be patient. Like last summer, I wanted our savings account to be growing faster. Of course, I was listening to The Legacy Journey (audiobook version) at the time and it reminded me that I needed to be content in my current situation. I sometimes will forget this and need to be reminded about the importance of patience. Bobby at Millennial Money Man issued a challenge in his article, "The Patience Challenge." The challenge is:
Take a Day and Be Patient with Yourself
In this challenge, he said instead of thinking about your failures, think of all you have accomplished. Even though, I am very laid back and kind of a go with the flow kind of guy, I was still struggling with the fact that I hadn't got a second interview for a position that I was pursuing. I was checking my e-mail everyday to see if I had an interview. Of course, I still haven't heard about that position. I could dwell on the fact that I have not had the opportunity to get a second interview, but instead let's look at everything I have accomplished.
Completed 6 year of teaching.
Two years in a row, 90% of my students passed the state assessment.
Completed my master's degree.
Completed an Internship for the position I am seeking.
There's a lot more, but I don't need to bore you with the details of my job. Instead, I can be thankful for the things that I have accomplished. Even though the pursuit of that position has been a big worry of mine lately, it's not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
At the very end of the article, Bobby states:
““I will say this – the hustle and grind mentality that you hear from the popular motivational speakers on Facebook or wherever is awesome. Keep watching those videos or reading the posts that inspire you. For every day that you take a step back and exhibit some patience with yourself, there should be 30 days that you push like crazy, beat yourself up, and work to make your dreams come true.” ”
This blog helps me to keep tabs on my financial goals and dreams. I have the dream of being financially secure enough that I could quit my job and work doing something other than teaching. To have that drive and motivation, you gotta have a goal that will make you push like crazy. Getting out of consumer debt was our first goal. Now, we want to get rid of our mortgage payment. Mortgages are different than consumer debt and they require more patience and diligence. So, we have checkpoints set. Our goal is that we can pay off a minimum of $25,000 a year. We are $4,000 away from hitting that goal by August. I think we can get there! Financially what are our successes?
Paying off all of our debt in 2 years!
Saving a huge down payment!
Still saving 30-35% of our income every month!
Paid off $21,000 of principal on our Mortgage in Ten Months!
I'm proud of everything that we have been able to accomplish. We've done this because we push, claw, and fight for these items. What drives you? What motivates you to make that extra push? You can do whatever you put your mind to, you just have to believe in yourself.
Believing in yourself is why I placed Abraham Lincoln as the picture of this article. Honest Abe was not a successful politician initially in his career. Lincoln ran for Illinois House in 1832, but failed. He came in 8th out of 13 candidates. He could of given up, but he didn't. He later ran again and was successful the second time. He kept clawing and fighting and eventually he became President. We all won't become President, but our dreams can be realized if we work for them.
I thank Bobby at M$M for reminding us that patience is something that we all must continue to have. That's how we grow. It's how we get better. Our life can only improve if we struggle and fail. Those failures teach us what not to do and then we can make the changes that need to be made.
Will you take the challenge? What are successes that give you patience? Answer in the comments section below.
Contact the writer here, or follow him on twitter @summitofcoin.
