What real patience means

Hello and happy Friday,

A few things on true patience:

One thought:

We sometimes imagine ‘patience’ as something that happens in minutes, hours and days.

Not getting frustrated with a task. Not getting annoyed with a family member or colleague.

But that’s just one half of it.

The other aspect of patience is long.

The 20 years of building a network. The lifelong work needed to be genuinely great at something.

This kind of patience isn’t discussed because it’s tiring and expansive.

But if you want to impress yourself upon the world in any lasting way, it’s the kind of patience that matters.

One quote:

Ira Glass, acclaimed radio producer + writer

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, but for the first couple years you make something, it’s just not that good.

But your taste, the thing that got you into it, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you.

So if you are just starting out, you gotta know it is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.

It’s gonna take a while, but you’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

One screenshot:

Gary Vaynerchuk launching WineLibraryTV aged 31 to an audience of 0:

He’d already spent years sending newsletters to his customer base.

Seventeen years later, he’s one of the biggest creators on earth.

Link to watch here.

And finally, One Last Thing:

Fidelity Investments once found that its top-performing accounts were those where its clients forgot about their investments.

They had an average annual return of around 15% more over the long-term.

So maybe actually don’t be patient.

Instead, forget that giving up is even an option.

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Before I go, check out this episode of Unboxed (with the extraordinary Simon Squibb) and subscribe for more.

You can also share this issue of One Last Thing.

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Speak in a week,

Jordan