Patience is a Virtue

Patience is a virtue.  How many times have we all heard this??  I am guessing too many to count.  If you are not ready to hear it (or I guess read it) a couple more times, stop reading right now, otherwise, proceed.

I am good at a lot of things, but being patient is NOT one of them.  I like to be in control of things and make things happen.  I hate waiting and the unknown. 

I am currently in the process of looking for a full-time job in the legal field, as you may have gleaned from my previous posts.  Recently I applied for a position in the legal department of a large tech company in the bay area (this probably does not narrow it down at all, but I would rather avoid specifics until the interview process is over).  About 4 weeks ago I had a phone interview.  That went well, so 2 weeks I went to an in-person interview.  I felt the interview went smoothly, and was told that I would hear from then within the week whether or not I had made it to the next interview round.  I was on pins and needles all week.  Whenever my phone buzzed I jumped.  Every time I would complain, my mom would empathize, but end with “just be patient.”

The week went by, and no email.  Then a few more days passed.  Finally I emailed a follow-up on Monday.  Yesterday, at the 2 week mark, still no response.  I was definitely anxious to say the least, but was trying to move on with life.

Last night I met up with an old co-worker (she also worked at the law firm in southern California, but several years ago).  We had dinner at E&O Trading Company in San Francisco.  It was an absolute blast catching up with her and reminiscing.  Additionally, she is a paralegal at a mid-sized firm in the city and she gave me a bunch of interviewing tips, and offered to pass around my resume.  While she admits lacking in the patience department, she counseled me to “be patient because something great will come along.”

Today I woke up to my alarm at 7am (I realize this is not all that early to some of you but that is early for my current schedule) and simply did not want to get out of bed.  But, today is Thursday, and on Thursdays I meet my trainer at 10am.  I was not in a great mood, but hopefully that a solid workout would change that.

My trainer met me bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.  He had already had several clients and was all ready to go.  I really hate morning people … mostly because I am jealous of them!  So we started on the bike, then did squats, step-ups, presses and some free weights.  I was definitely feeling the burn in my legs.  The last few sets he makes me do before we stop are always the longest and hardest.  But to top off the torture, he decided he wanted to weigh me today … ugh!  But, being the good client that I am, I climbed on the scale and prayed. Pleasantly, I was down another pound, making that a 10lb loss since I started working out about 3-4 weeks ago … not bad!

After my training session I still had to do my cardio, which is typically easier on days that I train, because I am already warmed up and motivated … plus my trainer is still there to make sure I do it!  But today I REALLY, REALLY did not want to do my cardio.  I was tired and all I could think about was going home, but I didn’t.  I climbed on the elliptical and started my intervals. 

About 42 mins into my cardio, the massage therapist that works at the gym approached me.  We had talked several times before and I had gotten a complimentary 15 min massage from him earlier in the week.  He asked how I was doing with my workouts.  I told him that I was very happy and the weight was coming off slowly but surely.  He was glad to hear it, and as he moved on to chat with another member he told me “keep working at it, patience is a virtue.”

So, as I finished another 10 minutes on the elliptical and moved on to 10 minutes on the bike, I vowed that I was just going to enjoy the time I have, not think about what I cannot control, and be patient, just like everyone said.  I finished up my workout and drove home.  As I picked up my bag to go inside, I noticed that I had a message on my phone, so I checked it.  It  was none other than the recruiter from the company I interviewed with telling me that I had made it to the final round of interviews and asking for my availability next week.  Apparently patience IS a virtue. 

Sometimes exercising patience takes gumption too!