佚名/Anonymous
I watched the old man's fumbling fingers as he slowly counted out t he coins,one by one.I was all but dancing with impatience in the check out line and sighed with exasperation.Hearing me,he smiled apologetica lly-a tiny smile of humiliation at being feeble and holding up the worl d's business.
Then I became contrite.Putting myself in his shoes,I realized that someday they might pinch my feet.I too,could become dependent on the k indness of strangers.I patted his frayed sleeves."Take your time," I said,"there's no hurry."
It occurred to me how often I had acted impatiently-honking my horn the instant the light changed,speaking sharply to someone slow to under stand.Did it matter?It did.When you're impatient,you're apt to be rude.And such behavior is counter-productive,making people angry or st ubborn or uncooperative.
I decided to try becoming more patient and to develop various approa ches for calming myself in stressful situations.I can't claim that the se techniques transformed me into a model of patience,but they have hel ped me eliminate some impatience from my life and control most of it.
A friend had passed the interviews for an important new job;all tha t remained was for the president of the company to meet his wife.
At six,my friend and his wife were in the tunnel on their way into New York for a seven o'clock appointment.At seven,they were still in the tunnel,stuck behind an overturned tractor-trailer.When they finall y reached the president's hotel,he had gone,leaving no message.He wo uld not accept an explanation the next day."You should have planned fo r delays," he said.
Impatient people don't like to waste time,so they cut things too c losely.They budge the exact number of minutes that a journey or task sh ould take,not allowing for the possibility of delay or the unexpected.It is better to provide a margin for error.The more important your appo intment is,the more time should be allotted.When an appointment absolu tely can't be missed,it pays to allow ridiculous amounts of time.