★ Rich Habit #18: Exercising Patience Every Day

This is part of our Rich Habits series, by best-selling author Tom Corley. Be sure to check out all previous habits we’ve covered!

Focus, persistence and patience are three common traits of all successful people, but patience may be the hardest trait to learn. Success takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight. And success has its ups and downs. Some days things go your way, but most of the time they don’t. When things don’t go your way, it’s easy to become frustrated and to quit. Most people do. And most people are unsuccessful. But successful people don’t quit. They patiently pursue their goals and their dreams. They take a long view of success. They accept that it may take them years, or even a lifetime, to realize success. They are patient. They don’t fall victim to Bright Shiny Object Syndrome. They stick to one thing for many years. This patience enables them to gain knowledge and skills, buys them time to pivot, and ultimately allows them to focus on their most important goal. Patience eventually provides solutions to all of our problems. Sometimes that solution is an idea, a strategy or even that critically important person who joins our effort. Without patience, none of those ideas, strategies or apostles would be possible. Patience creates Opportunity Luck, the luck that is a trademark of all successful people. It's also important to remember that every successful person experiences the frustration of patience. Opportunity Luck did not visit Colonel Sanders until he was in his mid-60s. Rodney Dangerfield was 46 before he got his first break on the Ed Sullivan Show. Before becoming president, Abraham Lincoln lost several runs for public office. But everyone here patiently pursued their dreams. Unsuccessful people quit when they hit a roadblock. They lack the patience that is required in order for success to happen. As a result, Opportunity Luck never has a chance of happening. They never find solutions to problems. They never find that apostle who helps them achieve their goals.

In Summary

Successful people don't quit. Unsuccessful people do. ***** Miss any habits? The full list can be found here, and below are the last four: