Someone asked me if I was a patient person. It gave me pause.

I would say that I am patient with the person, but I’m not patient with the progress of whatever it is we’re working on.

I used to be really impatient with people: I felt that if they weren’t doing what they were supposed to be doing, it was deliberate, they were lazy and I’d write them off. It never occurred to me that it might be because they didn’t know how or were afraid to try.

So now, I assume if we’re not getting the results we want, they don’t know the how. And that I can usually help with.