We all know the popular saying that “patience is a virtue.” There’s no denying that patience is important – especially in the instant-gratification-obsessed world that we currently live in. Patience prevents us from making rash decisions. It helps us better understand and value the world around us. And it provides satisfaction and fulfillment when executed well.

But how can you develop the habit of patience – and WHY is it even something that you need anyways?

Here’s a secret: patience is the key to manifesting true success and fulfillment in life.

You can’t allow greatness to take hold in your life if you don’t allow the time to let it happen. Let’s deep dive exactly WHY it’s important to develop the habit of patience, and exactly how to do it.

Why It’s Important to Develop the Habit of Patience

What do I mean when I say “the habit of patience?” What I mean is the habit of being able to wait, especially to be able to wait for the “right” answer to make itself known to you.

This may sound a bit confusing, or contradictory to what I normally preach – the idea of waiting for opportunity. As you know, I am a huge advocate for the idea of personal responsibility. Meaning: at any moment in time, you are responsible for the thoughts you think, the actions you take, and the decisions you make. You are responsible for your own life.

And yes, it’s important to take responsibility for your life – for your actions, your thoughts, your communication. You must be a proactive advocate for your own success and the things you want to achieve.

But there is something to be said for developing the skill of patience in letting this success unfold.

Listen carefully:

In order for great actions to manifest, you have to give them time.

Really understanding this concept was one of the most important shifts of my adult life. It has changed the way I think and talk about success, my decision-making process, and my overall outlook on life.

I cannot tell you how many times that TIME has come to my aid in decision-making.

And this was a hard lesson for someone like me — Type A, a control freak, a planner, an over-achiever — to loosen the reigns a little bit.

To let the right decision become apparent.

But I promise you – it happens. I have found that if you are really, truly struggling with a certain issue in your life, or a decision that needs to be made – after you have done the all the work you can – there is incredible power in just “sitting on it,” and waiting for the right answer to make itself known to you.

And when it does you will be so awestruck at the gut feeling of, “of course that’s the right answer” that you experience.

Here’s an example: as many of you know, I am working on my first book (to be published next year!) Now writing a book is an exciting process, but it’s a lot of work. And so much of that work comes AFTER the actual writing: the editing, the formatting, the launching, and of course: the book cover itself.

Now, we all know the saying “you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.” And we also all know that it’s total CRAP! Everyone judges books by their covers (I sure do!) So suffice it to say, the cover is important. And for a first-time author: stressful as hell! Luckily, I worked with an incredible designer, Ms. Allison Burns to put together two stellar cover concepts. In fact, they were SO stellar that, for the life of me, I could not decide between them. And I struggled with this for weeks! I asked friends and family for their input. I reached out to mastermind groups, and my publishing coach.

And I’m not kidding you: the answers were basically split down the middle. There was no clear winner. So, I realized that I just needed to wait – I had done every possible analysis, gathered great feedback, done competitive research, and now I just needed to marinate in that information for a bit, and trust that the right decision would manifest.

A few days later, I was out for a run in my neighborhood (On an unrelated note, I am weirdly into running lately – maybe because it’s helped to produce so many important realizations for me!), and I was running down a street that was not unfamiliar to me. As I was running, I passed this house and was just struck by how pretty and aesthetically pleasing it was: it was a classic, east-coast style white house, with navy shutters, and a bright turquoise door. I realized how soothing it was for me to just look at the house… and then I realized that the house was almost an EXACT visual representation of one of my book cover options. And just like that, I knew it was the right cover choice.

This is just one of SO many examples where I’ve found that using patience can be the best tool for confident, peaceful decision-making. All you have to do is let yourself wait, and trust that the right answer will make itself known to you. Be okay with waiting – Good things come to those who do!

Why Patience is Important for Entrepreneurs

In addition, when you’re building and growing a business, patience is so important. I know that I am naturally a very spontaneous person – I get an idea, and I want to go for it! It’s new! It’s exciting!

But when you’re starting a business, you are presented with these new ideas ALL the time. You are constantly coming up with new ways to promote your product, a new blog post to write, a new email to send, etc, etc. But the thing is: you can’t do everything. At least, not all at the same time. You have to have patience, and you have to FOCUS on just a few things at a time. And I need to remind myself of that pretty much daily. To remind myself that “Hey, you’re doing okay!”

So, take a breath. Take your time. Focus on creating (and finishing) one good thing before you start something else. While you need to be unwilling to wait for your own success, you also need to find patience in the process.

You Are Not Alone

Plus, when you allow yourself the time to let an important answer make itself known to you, it’s a comforting reminder that you are not alone. It’s comforting to believe there’s a higher power, a greater force at work that’s conspiring to bring you the life you desire – that you are MEANT to live.

You are not alone in this life.

Yes, you have to do the work. Yes, you are responsible.

But you are not alone.

And I hope you can find some peace in that.

The more you open yourself up to the spontaneous realization of ideas, the more it will happen.

The more you invite answers into your life, the more you will find them.

But it’s helpful to find patterns that allow this process to unfold. A personal example – I’m finding running to be one of those things. Recognize where these patterns are in your own life – the actions or places that allow you to manifest decisiveness – and work on making them a constant part of your life.

Avoid Rash Decisions

Another way to master the habit of patience is to stay away from rash decision-making, especially as it relates to decisions involving your time or your money (your most important resources!) When you are overwhelmed, it can be easy to “just pick” something to get the decision of your shoulders, but rash decision-making usually only leads to second-guessing ourselves, unrest, and regret, which is no way to live.

Create the habit of patience by trusting your intuition, listening to that inner voice, and avoiding rash decisions. And you will find that life becomes easier, clearer and more meaningful than you could have ever imagined!