Posts Tagged patience
Hair gone, youth back?
Comments welcome.
I guess the “transition phase” from short to long hair took too long 
Off it went.
Before.
After.
Sunday Column (116)
Posted by Volker in personal, Sunday Column on May 22, 2011
Ok, needless to say this week was another quick one. I believe every week will be a quick one as I have so much to do at work, and do so many things at the evening, even if I am “only going home”.
My diet was ok this week. You remember I tried to improve what I eat. Besides two client lunches and one team diner I survived, and only got tempted to too much wine at night and one night of pizza. So it is much better than the week before, but hey, it was only the first week. We are making a lot of progress. I don’t remember EVER eating so many apples, bananas, nuts, kiwis and oranges. All good for me!
Each change needs to be incremental, one change at a time. So be patient 
I also added a lot of Google Chrome extensions, so hopefully my little netbook will become even more of a productivity tool. I had a quick peek at the Lenovo website, and found a laptop I’d like instead, but it is about £600. So for now, I stick with what I have. However, I treated myself to new head phones. My Panasonic ones seem to break once a year, so I spend double what they cost on some Sony ones. Fingers crossed those last longer.
Work proved to be a great week. Very busy but lots of good chats, meetings and outcomes too. My CEO was in London, also I met with some great people and came up with some new approaches and ideas. We are moving in the right direction with the speed of light We had our team night out this week, going bowling. I found a cigarette advertising in a pub – one from the 80ies when I still used to smoke. Actually this very advert was the one that really appealed to me. Back in the days.
What else happened? Not too much to be honest. I finished reading the book about energy households, The power of full engagement. A highly recommendable book, managing energy rather than time.
I also managed to see Colin at night as Jen tries to keep him up longer. Sometimes this results in me not being able to see him in the morning as he is still sleeping. Either way … the weekend was great. 
On Saturday Colin and I went for a walk down the train station, watching trains. Then we took one stop down the road and walked back home. He so loved that, although he was very tired afterwards. In the afternoon we went swimming, again tiring out our wee man. Rohan wasn’t in the best form this weekend but is ok.
Sunday was another full on family day. My wife went to a photography course and I was home alone with the boys. Great fun as you can imagine.
I hope you all have a great week ahead.
Best,
Volker
Patience or Impatience….
Posted by Volker in cb consulting, personal on May 11, 2010
As some of you know, I can be quite impatient. Mainly, I want to get things done. I like to cross things off my to-do list and get on with the next task. I hate waiting and hate to let others wait. Hence, I am constantly stressing what might happen, or what might be. So naturally, I feel like the grass is always greener somewhere else, and always seeking best opportunities. I hate to stick around places just for the sake of being somewhere……
Anyway, this is not all bad news, and being impatient can have some advantages. However, it can have disadvantages too.
Do you know the feeling? You just need to get something done to cross it off the list, although it could be done tomorrow. Prioritising?! Or is it just organising? Or is it impatience. Depends on the circumstances I suppose.
I was never really good in sticking to a problem, trying to figure it out. It is mainly about “let’s try A, if that fails, try B”. I am hands on. I didn’t get a first class engineering degree by thinking too much about a problem but trying several possible solutions.
However, I have changed a bit, and I work less stressful nowadays. I live more in the now and with the help of mediation and relaxation techniques, I developed a good sense of patience. I still worry about the future, and I like to see what is on the other side, but I am actively practising how to perform better in the here and now without worrying too much about tomorrow or next year.
On Wiki-how I found an excellent article on “How to be patient“. A good start to look at things differently – what do you think?
Please note, the 10 rules have been shortened and you find a full review on the Wiki-how site.
1 Try to figure out why you are in such a hurry. We tend to lose our patience when we’re multi-tasking or when we’re on a tight schedule.
2 Pinpoint the triggers that often make you lose your patience.
3 Overcome bouts of impatience.
4 Look for patterns.
5 Let go if you can’t do anything about the impatience trigger.
6 Remind yourself that things take time. People who are impatient are people who insist on getting things done now and don’t like to waste time. However, some things just can’t be rushed.
7 Expect the unexpected. Yes, you have plans, but things don’t always work out as planned. Accept the twist and turns in life gracefully. Keep your expectations realistic.
8 Give yourself a break. The meaning of this is twofold. First, take a few minutes to do absolutely nothing. Just sit quietly and think. [...] Second, stop holding yourself and the world around you to unreachable standards.
9 Remember what matters. Not focusing on what matters most in this life fuels impatience.
10 Always remember that you will eventually get what you want
patience or what?
Over the last few weeks in my interviews I was asked for my greatest weakness. I keep saying “patience” just purely as for a sales person it could be a strength too. Maybe I should not admit it then?
As a sales person one doesn’t have to have attention to detail. One wants to get the sales. As a Business Development and Marketing person, I need to get everything right, everything needs to be perfect, as I am working on reputation and showing off. So where do I stand?
I definitely feel more comfortable in the marketing and business development role where I can concentrate on delivering the right message and getting people to be interested in our products and services. Being detailed oriented is very important. I even would consider myself being a perfectionist. And, I am good at that because focusing on marketing only you usually have less pressure on selling. Then again there is always pressure on selling. Whilst solely working in sales, it is all about the deal, not necessarily the details. That is why for complex proposals you always work in a team
However, when it comes to nitty gritty details I am not the best. Less so in a professional environment but more so at home. And, the older I get, the less I am bothered about how often I dust at home or whether we meet friends on Saturdays, Sundays or whether we spend £30 or £35 on a product. I cannot be bothered going through too much detail just to make a decision. Car insurance is good example. I just want to get things done.
The other day I had to buy car insurance and after filling in some details online, admittedly wrong, I called up the insurer (Admiral) and they said they cannot change it and cannot quote me the same premium as if I registered online over the phone. I had to do it over again. It drove me nuts to fill in everything again. Yes, those details just bother me these days.
I more and more understand a friend of mine who never knew how to use the washing machine at home and left it to his wife. Whilst I know how to use the washing machine, I see where he is coming from. Why do we need to know everything and anything when most of the time we don’t need to know?
I believe ironing is another one. Why trying to press the shirts to perfection if you put them on afterwards and within 20 minutes of wearing them they are slightly wrinkled again. Of course I still iron but I am less picky then I used to be.
So bottom line, maybe the weakness is not patience but the weakness is to bother about nitty gritty bits that are just NOT important. Such as car insurance etc. and things that need to be done but no one likes.
Guess I am just normal
Volker Ballueder
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