“Perhaps there is only one cardinal sin, impatience. Because of impatience we were driven out of paradise, and because of impatience we cannot return.” W.H. Auden. This is the sixth in a series of mindsets or attitudes that are real transformation killers.

How many times have you seen someone new to the transformation challenge ask a question like this: “What do you recommend to jumpstart this program—fat burners, extra cardio, cutting out carbs?” The curtain has not even opened yet, and our transformer is already wanting to hurry up and get through Act one! Impatience is a problematic mindset that unfortunately is often seen by the impatient one as an asset. Impatient people usually portray themselves as “energetic,  productive and resourceful.” But, the truth is, for most of them, they frustrate themselves and others, and seldom can be relied on in the clutch. Most impatient people also possess the seemingly opposite trait of procrastination.  Impatience and lack of vision forces them to do several tiny and easy things first, putting off the more complex and lengthy tasks for another time—which never seems to arrive.

Applying those traits to a transformation challenge, you can quickly predict what will happen. A challenge will take off like a rocket, with frenetic activity, a great flourish of  preparation, and then suddenly die out like a roman candle heading back to earth.  Our impatient one simply finds himself unable to wait even a few weeks for muscles to form, fat to burn away, and a new life to emerge. Instead, he stands in front of the Microwave oven screaming, “hurry up!” Nothing can arrive too soon for him, so you will find him next trying something like Atkins or the Hollywood diet or one of the ten thousand other quick results guaranteed diets that simply lead to the next crash and burn event!

Impatience never wins and never satisfies. So what is the cure for it?  Perhaps the best adjustments that can be immediately made are to discontinue all stimulants such as white sugar and caffeine in the diet. These things are like the fuse on the dynamite stick of impatience.  Counting to ten before engaging mouth or typing a message to someone often works. Solitude is an excellent beginning for an impatient person. Just go somewhere to a pleasant but completely undisturbed surrounding, and sit and think. Don’t write a thing; don’t take your phone, your I Pod, or anything else that can vie for your attention, and just kick your mind out of gear. Lie on your back and watch the clouds. How long has it been since you did something like that?  Patience can be learned by practice. Protect your schedule, and never over commit yourself. The pressure created by excessive commitments nearly always produces impatience and chaos.

Will patience get you back into paradise? I can’t guarantee you that, but I can guarantee that it will add time and richness to your life. Patient people live longer and have fewer diseases than impatient ones. The one quality that most people truly appreciate and envy in others is patience, and the ability to hold one’s tongue when others don’t. 

Please, you have 12 beautiful weeks ahead of you—don’t let impatience make it feel like 12 years!.