A few weeks ago, I was reflecting on my own behavior at home. And I realized that if I stack ranked my level of patience, I was most patient at work. Probably just as patient – or maybe a little less patient – with my kids.
And the person who had to deal with me when all of my reserves were seemingly gone was my wife.
So in many ways, she consistently sees the worst of me. The most impatient side.
It’s never fun realizing something like this about yourself – when you realize that the person you care about the most is the one you show the shittiest side of yourself to.
The question that followed is – what stopped me from doing better? From, say, being upfront when I was really low on patience. Or simply being more patient.
The answer is ego.
It’s easier to pretend like nothing is wrong than to admit I’m behaving poorly. Even saying that would be a good first step on some days.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working on improving this – with some encouraging progress. Of course, it’s going to be a journey.
But the first step is simply leaving that pattern of behavior behind by holding a much higher bar for myself. That starts by being a lot more patient… also being proactive about saying when I’m not at my best.
I’m hoping to do a lot better in 2026.
A Learning a Day 