Episodes of Living: BE PATIENT

Why does the world love Nelson Mandela so much? It is very unusual for the world to rally around an African leader, who is very frail now. Would you have ever believed that after 27 years in prison there was still hope of a new country where all manner of people of different skin pigmentation will live as brothers and sisters? Mandela was patient to believe so. If there is one virtue common to the life of great achievers, it is patience. Dreamers have the patience to wait for what they see in the future. They prepare in patience to make it happen.

You are qualified to be patient if you pass two basic tests: test of period and process.

PERIOD: Patience takes time. Sometimes it takes years before a dream manifest. One man who features prominently on what I consider as the patience hall of fame in the Bible is Noah. God gave him a dream to preserve the human race by keeping obedient people in an ark he was instructed to construct. It took him 120 years before this divine dream came to pass. Thinking of doing any major thing on earth, think years of waiting without giving up. Great things require years of maturation.

PROCESS: Anything that is durable passes the test of process. Simply, it doesn’t just happen. I remember when I was admitted to the University of Ghana, I went through a process before I fully became a student. They were quite laborious process like paying of fees, attending boring orientation, registering at hall and departments amongst others. They were a necessity to becoming a legitimate student of Legon. You cannot cut corners to the top of your field. You have to go through years of painful processes to grow your muscles.

A little while ago, patience wasn’t so much firmed in my character code. I admired successful people and never considered that they just didn’t appear at where they are. More so, the era of fast fixing things had eaten the better part of me. Now I know that patience is a key to unlock doors. If you really are interested in making your dream come true, be patient. May you be changed!