This Is How To Stop Letting Impatience Ruin Your Finances

Image created by OpenAI’s DALL·E

It’s easier than you might think

During the decades that I’ve been on this planet, I’ve noticed a gradual increase in impatience. No, not in myself — in fact, quite the opposite. Early in my adult life, I recognised this trait in myself and saw how it was adversely affecting my life. I understood that it was something I needed to change.

It wasn’t going to be resolved overnight, but I kept chipping away at it. And while gradually, I became a more patient person, the world around me seemed to become increasingly intolerant of waiting for anything.

I’m sure technology is largely responsible for that, along with a general shift in parenting and societal influences that have resulted in a shocking sense of entitlement amongst many young people.

When I was a kid, there was a whole lot of waiting going on. If you were watching TV, you had to wait till the advert or credits finished. There was no recording, no fast forwarding.

Binge-watching? Hardly. One episode per week till the season ended. Reruns for months till the next one began. And if you missed an episode, tough luck. It was gone forever. Or till summer reruns.

If you rang someone and no one was home, there was no voicemail. Not even an answering machine. You had to wait and try again. And again. And again.

Likewise, if the line was busy, you had to wait and keep calling back until you could get through. There was no “call waiting.” No mobile to send a text and say, “Hey, get off your phone! I need to talk to you!”

Shops closed at 6 pm. They were closed on Sundays. Even worse, banks were only open from 10–3 Monday to Thursday, 10–6 Friday. And there were no ATMs. And definitely no phone banking. And of course, the internet was many years away.

You had to do every single deposit, withdrawal, or transfer to and from savings by standing in a queue and waiting your turn. Payday was a nightmare, a rush of people on lunch hours, praying the line would move fast enough they could get cash their cheques before getting back to work.

And if you wanted to pay bills, you had to either pay the allowable ones at the bank, or pay the business directly by going there with your statement and cash or cheque, or by mailing a cheque.

Then you waited several days for mailing time and processing before finally, your payment cleared.

But over the years, technology has sped up much of what we do. Our relentless search for faster and more convenience has created a monster. I remember how amazed people were by how quickly microwaves cooked food when these scary little boxes were first showing up in kitchens (never in mine. I don’t trust anything that is said to “nuke” my food).

Now? All too often, people are tapping their feet, staring through the glass at their cups of coffee, or/and whining, “Come o-o-o-on!!!! Hurry u-u-u-u-up!!”

I’ve been guilty of this. Making an international phone call, for example, and instead of it ringing instantly, it might have taken 3 to 5 seconds. And I was wondering what the heck was taking so long. Seriously?? Yep. I did that. Not anymore. Yay, mindfulness and meditation.

I remember when Jell-O pudding would take an hour or so to set. Then they came out with the instant version, which was ready in 5 minutes. Now? You can’t even buy the original one. At least, not to my knowledge. I haven’t seen it in many years.

Remember dial-up internet? It took ages to connect but we didn’t know any better. We thought it was the most incredible thing ever. Until we met broadband and fell in love, tossing dial-up to the curb like a jilted lover.

I could offer so many examples. Too many. I keep hearing people freaking out that time seems to go faster and faster all the time — and it certainly does feel that way to me, too — although for me, it’s about recognising that there’s an awful lot less sand in the top of my hourglass than in the bottom. I’m aware of how precious time is and I want to slam on the brakes and slow it down because I’m painfully aware that my dance card could be cancelled at any given moment (but I hope it’s not for many years).

But you see, the more we want everything to go faster, the more impatient we become. And the more impatient we become, the more we want everything to go faster. Life is moving at a dizzying pace. How long before the wheels come off??

Heaven forbid you don’t answer a text right away. The sender will think you’re angry or being rude. I don’t know about you, but I have a life and it comes before my phone.

We want everything now. Right now, damn it! Pull out your Visa or Mastercard and buy it! Do it! Eat it! NOW!

I remember before those cards existed. Except for department stores that had credit cards, you had to save the money first. Now? You can have whatever you want. Buy now, pay later. Who cares about the interest? Rack up a ton of debt as fast as you can! And oops. Big trouble.

Recently, I was reading an article about rebuilding your life, and how small improvements add up. It made me think of my experience with saving money. And this reminded me about the issue of impatience in the world, and how so many people are coming unhinged because things just don’t happen fast enough. No wonder there are outrageous rates of anxiety and people needing to medicate themselves to calm down (side note: they should mediTate themselves instead).

For example, at one point, I decided to save 10% of every bit of money I received. Even if it was only £5 (or $5 depending on where I was living) from a $50 editing or proofreading job, or writing a blog post for someone. I would put that money into savings and absolutely would not touch it. No. Matter. What.

I remember making that decision in January. A fresh start. I was determined to improve my financial situation. I’d heard about this 10% thing for years. How was I going to afford it though? I was barely making ends meet. I needed my situation to be better ASAP and yes, I felt that rush of impatience, thinking it would take forever to see any meaningful result. I mean, how could such small amounts make a difference in my lifetime? Especially as I wasn’t earning much money at all (understated)?

But I took a deep breath and reminded myself that time does pass. And that when itdid, I wanted to be able to see a thriving savings account that would never have existed unless I’d taken that first step — and all the other steps that would come after it.

So I made my first tiny deposit and set the intention that it was going to help me shift into a more financially abundant situation. Every time money came in, 10% went into that savings account. I delighted in watching those double digits climb, become three and keep growing. I wasn’t deprived. I didn’t miss that money. My expenses were low so that helped. And I never would have believed I could save so much money in such a short time.

In a year, I had a healthy four-figure savings account. And within another 18 months, it was five figures. And growing.

Image created by OpenAI’s DALL·E

I didn’t know where this money had come from. I mean — I didn’t think I’d earned anywhere near enough for that to be possible on top of my living expenses.

But here’s the thing.

It is said that money doesn’t come to an empty purse. It’s an energy thing, a state of mind. The more I saw my tiny savings account growing to £30 and £50 and £100, the more it encouraged me. I shifted my mindset. I stopped focusing on “lack” and was thrilled that I had money. It started coming from unexpected places and I was often able to put away more than the minimum 10%.

The more my savings account grew, the more money kept finding its way to me. And to my far-from-empty purse.

And so it continues.

I’m so grateful I took that first step. That £5 deposit seemed a million years away from creating anything meaningful, but time does pass. And that £5 deposit led to so many more, and even bigger ones. Sure, I could have spent that money. It would have been easy to buy a little something extra at the supermarket but I had my budget and it worked. I managed just fine without those few pounds. And my savings account had some company.

Even if I’d decided to save 2%, it would have been worth doing it. Watching the increasing balance in my account gave me a sense of delight and deep satisfaction that defies description. If you take care of the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves.

It’s true. Baby steps do add up. Whether it’s in working your way through cleaning the garage or writing your memoir or getting through university as a part-time student and full-time single parent. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, and you will reach your goal.