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The Secret Twins of Success
Patience Is A Superpower Part 2
In the family tree of Character Traits, you’ll see that Patience has a sibling named Persistence.
Well, they’re actually twins.
And though they are not identical, when they were born, there was great confusion over who came first: Patience or Persistence?
(It’s a bit of “the Chicken or the Egg” causality riddle.)
Either way, they usually travel together, have much in common and collaborate well.
And despite their similarities, you can always tell them apart.
Getting To Know The Twins
Patience is quiet and still. She is a visionary and can trust in the big picture. She is able to wait for things to unfold without feeling hurried or doubtful. She doesn’t get fed up when things don’t go her way. She is kind, understanding and wise.
She isn’t female but if you had to identify the energy, it is “Yin” in nature: Accepting of the flow and embracing all that is happening.
Persistence, on the other hand, is very active. He is a doer and attends to details. He is able to get up repeatedly – no matter how many times he may fall down. He doesn’t give up and is bold, resilient and single-minded.
He isn’t male but the energy is “Yang” in nature: driven and focused in a specific direction.
But the Twins have a dark side too.
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Sometimes, people don’t respect Patience and think she’s foolish to dream or invest in something that clearly isn’t paying off.
Because she is able to wait and wait, she might stick around too long in situation without recognizing the wisdom of Discernment. Since she can be too hopeful or patient with the mere potential of a situation or a relationship, years of her life may pass before she decides to move on.
Sometimes, people accuse Persistence of being too stubborn in his ways and they question his sanity.
Because Persistence is so doggedly determined, he can push and push without recognizing the wisdom of Surrender. Since he can be too obsessed with his goal to take stock of the bigger picture, years of his life may pass before he realizes that he is sacrificing too much.
When we look at how these Twins show up in your life, we can see that Patience is part of your Beingness and Persistence is part of your Doingness.
In other words, Patience is your state of mind while Persistence is your state of action.
They are each individually powerful aspects of your character yet they also feed each other.
They give you the capacity to strategize and plan over the long term. They ask you to let your vision reveal itself over time yet also take consistently bold steps forward in its creation. It’s a balancing act between the Faith of Being and the Fervour of Doing.
And then, as a surprise bonus, they help you forge a daily relationship with the formidable triplets known as Ingenuity, Innovation and Inspiration.
Instead of praying for this Trio to visit you like unexpected party guests, you learn how to regularly invite these creative forces into your life through on-going effort and trust in the process.
Rather than having continual one-night stands with your life’s great passions, Patience and Persistence teach you how to really love what you are doing and enjoy a life-long courtship.
In fact, the Twins are the key force behind most success stories. Be it a beloved artist, a powerful organization, a breathtaking monument or an jaw-dropping empire, the Twins have helped so many achieve greatness.
Yet Patience and Persistence are not famous nor celebrated. They are rarely in the news even though they’ve worked steadily behind-the-scenes in most of Humanity’s incredible stories of fortune and triumph.
They are the best-kept secrets of the Rich and Famous because the media machine prefers Overnight Success Stories, Child Prodigies or Viral Memes that burst onto the scene like Champagne Supernovas….
The Fame Mongers don’t feel inspired to tell you that success usually involves years of preparation, study and evolution.
For example, comedian Louis CK appeared to shoot to stardom around 2011. But in truth, his was a slow dedicated climb to success. He started doing comedy at age 17 and refined his craft over 27 years.
Louis openly admits that he “sucked” in the beginning – requiring many years of concerted effort to develop his signature style of comedy.
“He’s a guy who came up through the ranks, he did his time.” ~ Robin Williams.
For an epic example of patience and persistence, we can look humbly at Mahatma Gandhi’s journey.
Apparently, Gandhi was an unexceptional student, being “mediocre” in both academics and sports. But he managed to pass the necessary exams and made it through his barrister training in England.
Then, despite several efforts, Gandhi failed to establish a law practice in India. Eventually, he was able find a post in South Africa to offer legal representation for some Indian workers.
There, Gandhi’s activist spirit was activated through the injustices he witnessed and he would spend a colorful 21 years growing as a political leader in South Africa before returning to India to start his even more famous voyage: India’s Independence from the British.
In India, Gandhi spent 32 years in the continued development of his ethical principles as he worked tenaciously towards the vision of an Independent India. Along the way, he was both revered and ridiculed as he met with multiple successes and failures through his many campaigns, fasts, protests, marches and imprisonments.
Patience and Persistence were definitely part of Gandhi’s private advisory committee.
Without them, he could not have endured the trials and tribulations of such a gargantuan vision.
Beyond the shining glory of Gandhi the Icon, there were the daily mundane struggles of Gandhi the Man. Amidst 53 years of activism, he would have experienced countless set-backs and despairing errors, yet somehow, Persistence always returned to coax Patience back into the game.
Or was it Patience that fueled Gandhi’s persistence?
If you can invest enough to keep these Twins on retainer, they too can become your spiritual advisers for your long-term dreams and growth. They are acclaimed Life Coaches who have an impressive resume of clients even though they are to humble to drop names.
Together, they have cured Overachievers from stressful Type A personality disorders and Perfectionists from intensive self-flagellation.
For Patience is a form of kindness and unconditional love, while Persistence is a form of extraordinary strength that can move mountains over time.
Let them teach you how to overcome the tyranny of Perfection through a devotion to Evolution.
Let them show you how to let go of Doubt and build Faith through your Commitment.
Let them inspire you through continual Encouragement instead of constantly Heavy Criticism.
In this post-post modern era where Impatience is the Kryptonite that weakens so many and Pressure is the cruel dealer that enslaves Adrenaline Junkies…
…let Patience be your Muse and Persistence be your Mentor, providing you with superpowers that are uncommon at this time in history.
Read Part 1: Patience Is A Superpower: Your Marshmallow Experiment
