Train Kittens and Become a Genius
What has training a kitten got to do with business or self-development? Heaps actually … it requires patience in spades as they have a mind of their own. I guess that’s why people talk about herding cats as being tricky – I have to herd three of them from time to time and it’s not easy. Patience is required everywhere by everyone at some stage, not just dealing with kittens or cats.
At BJ Projects I thrive on achieving the desired results for my clients and client businesses as I love getting the doing done and then doing the delivering. It’s especially humbling and heart-warming to hear how someone has made a shift and gained a great result. Or a training delivery has hit the sweet spot for the team. And, in the process of achieving there’s usually a speed hump that has the potential to slow or even thwart progress and that’s when patience is needed. To me, patience is the ability to get into rapport with what’s happening around you
Over the last few years, I’ve been consciously aware of my need to develop patience and it’s not easy to when you have other things to do, or need to be somewhere else or when you’re on hold waiting for information. I thought I had made huge progress until we got three wee furballs (aka kittens) … all of them rescued strays from the SPCA who have been our babies for five months now.
In the book ‘The To-Be List’ patience is described as your ability to persist under difficult circumstances. Yes – it is this. Auntie Google says it’s the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. It’s this too. And three kittens can create challenging circumstances! Like when unloading groceries Mr Moby likes to jump into the fridge or investigate the goodies in the pantry. Last week I couldn’t figure out why the washing line in the carport was bouncing up and down … Mr Moby had jumped up on the roof of the car and was playing with the rags on the line! Simply making the bed becomes an exercise in patience as Mr Tigger enjoys pouncing on everything that moves, including my feet and the sheets! My jandals are usually right outside the back door, ready to slip on as I go outside and lately I’ve had to initiate a search for them as they’ve become ‘playthings’ spread far and wide. Mr Biscuit enjoys checking out what’s left on the bench after dinner is dished up or chewing things that look like fun, including buttons, neck chains and bracelets. Patience is required to teach these little guys new skills – especially these three who have come from stray litters and have some feral habits to tame!
Recently I’ve found myself having a chuckle when these things occur and enjoying the moment, noticing my breath and taking the time to really enjoy the humour.
Today I found myself with a too-longa-list and a short period of time to get things done. When this happens, if I haven’t made the time to pre-plan and visualise how it will play out, especially when I’m on a mission to get it all done, the universe has a way of making me slow down. Have you noticed that before? Both stores I had to get products from had a queue of people in front of me. I chose to have a conversation with the people in the line. The phone rang as I got back into the car – I popped the phone on hands-free and chatted while I was driving. The elevator doors in the building I was in were opening and closing multiple times before the lift would get moving and it did this on 3 of the 5 floors in the building. I had a conversation with the people in the lift and felt a little less rushed when I arrived at where I needed to be.
Patience in action is getting into rapport with what is happening around you. Connecting with what’s going on in the space that you’re in. Paying attention to what’s in front of you and engaging with the situation. It’s not easy to make time to notice your breathing, enjoy the moment and the place where your feet are, especially when you’re used to operating at warp speed. And when you do manage to deliberately create a connection with your environment, it can make a world of difference to your day. I heard a saying the other day, ‘be where your feet are’ and I’m consciously aware of doing this more often. I also like what Michelangelo said, “Genius is eternal patience”. I think I’m moving in the right direction to becoming a genius!