Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It is time for the next installment of IOR – The Intersection of Opportunity and Readiness. I am excited that over 100 folks viewed the first post. My goal is to share quick-read information here about 2X per month. If you enjoy what you read, do me a favor and share it with your networks – that is much appreciated!
Today, our on-demand culture is on my mind. You know, the “I want it all – I want it now” on -demand nature of life. T-Mobile features the phrase prominently in an ad campaign, Nike has an ad featuring Lebron James that highlights this dynamic. Queen has a song titled “I Want It All” and there are numerous TikToks that feature this phrase or dynamic. This desire is nothing new, but it sure does feel like there is no shame in expressing it these days. Moreover, it feels like if you do not have the desire to want it all and have it all, you are the exception rather than the norm. So, how does this insatiable quest to have it all sync up with IOR? Well, it just does not!
If you believe that there is some merit to the concept of IOR, that the intersection of opportunity and readiness gives you the greatest chance for success and the greatest opportunity to find true joy, then one of the key disciplines that you will need is patience. In today’s culture, patience might as well be a four-letter word. Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay without getting angry or upset. I must admit that patience can be hard for me, even though I know how important it is. There are little indicators in our every day lives that reveal our lack of patience – do you speed through a yellow light? do you strategically look for the toll lane that is moving the fastest? do you count the number of items in someone’s cart at the grocery and/or look at the speed of the check-out clerk – or better yet, opt for self-checkout? All these little behaviors are a glimpse into our level of patience. Not to mention, our reaction when we make the wrong choice!
Like I said, patience is sometimes tough for me, but one of the lessons that I have come to understand is this – Patience is an outcome of learning how to control your pridefulness. You see, pridefulness is a me-first attitude and is the root cause of the “I want it all” mentality. The opposite of pridefulness is servanthood, which is an others-first attitude. Once we can switch our focus from ourselves to others, our level of patience increases while our level of frustration decreases. Servanthood is attractive in all realms of life – in family relationships, in personal relationships, in work relationships and in leadership. Some would say that servanthood is weak – but it is not. To the contrary, it is strong. Think about the best relationships and/or leaders that you have encountered, and I will bet you that what you will find are some of the best servants.
That is all for today. We will explore this further in future posts, including the difference between patience and preparation and the concept of servants being weak – just a little teaser for what is to come. For now, enjoy your day and I will see you next time!
MR