Impatience (Fear of Missing Out)

TOP AUTHORS

Impatience

By PHIL WITTMEYER & Others

Impatience is the self-image of the "born winner", the successful person who cannot stand to fail. He may rise early in the morning so he can get more done each day. Things never happen fast enough to suit him. Time moves too slow to suit him: the future does not arrive soon enough. He constantly tries to pack more activity into the allotted time than can possibly be done. Or he does not allot enough time for the things that need to be done. This often makes him late for things rather than early, as one might expect from an Impatient person. He does not like to wait for things, so may do something before adequate preparations have been made. He would rather buy something on credit, for instance, rather than wait till he has the money saved. He gets upset if things do not happen soon enough. When he talks, he is brief, curt, abrupt, hasty, and presumptuous. Often he interrupts the conversation of others rather than waiting his proper turn. There is a crudeness and lack of politeness in this.

A person with this Feature sees himself as an originator of action. He wants to be there at the beginning of events. He is always in a rush to get things going or make things happen.

Impatience is the complementary opposite of the Martyr. Whereas the Martyr gives up and gives in easily, the Impatient one is not a quitter — at least not in the same sense as the Martyr. The Impatient one may want to move on to the next project before he completes the last one, but it is not because he surrenders or is discouraged. Unlike the Martyr, the Impatient one demands respect — he has an excessive amount of self-respect in fact, and is likely to push others around rather than let himself be pushed around like the Martyr. Martyrs regard themselves as helpless, weak, and defeated, but Impatient people will almost never admit they need help — it would be a sign of defeat or weakness.

The underlying fear that drives this Feature is the fear of missing out on something — something more important than what is presently being done. This can be difficult for the person, as they go from activity to project to activity in a constant state of restlessness and dissatisfaction. This can apply to relationships as well as activities and projects. Constant change is seen as better than stagnation. Often such a person will walk away from you before you have finished talking to him. The way to overcome this is to contemplate and apply the Positive Pole of Martyrdom, which is +Selflessness. Rather than asserting the ego against the will of others or against circumstances, let go of personal power and surrender to the situation.

Impatience is the counterpart of the King Role — the Impatient one sees himself as a King, a leader of men and a master of situations. He has the self-image of a King, but without the substance, and this can get him into trouble if he takes his presumed ability to command beyond his actual capacity. He will tend to just push others around rather than lead them. The Impatient one would do well to watch out for this factor.

Positive Pole (Audacity)

The Positive Pole is +Audacity. There is an over-boldness here, a lack of proper self-regulation. He is rash and impetuous as he drives headlong forward. The person is always looking to the future and trying to get a jump on it, rather than working with his present resources. His expectations are generally ahead of reality, and he wants to catch up to it as quickly as he can. He anticipates success in whatever he does. This is the self-image of the overachiever. A person with this Feature sees himself as a born winner, as strong and successful. He will not admit inadequacies in himself, but makes excuses for any failures he has.

Negative Pole (Intolerance)

In the Negative Pole of -Intolerance, the person is easily irritated at people and circumstances. Others consider him hot-tempered. As a child he may throw "temper tantrums", and continue similar behavior into adulthood. In sports — or the real games of life — he is a poor loser. He is prone to rages and furies with little provocation. People around him have to be very careful not to upset him because he is so easily angered, and he overreacts to minor inconveniences or petty failures. When his expectations are not fulfilled, he become cross, petulant, acerbic, and acrimonious. He gets angry when others walk on him or when he thinks his rights are violated. At the extreme, a person in -Intolerance will persecute others — make Martyrs of them, and of course the most extreme form of this is actual murder.

The advantage of this Feature is that it makes the person success-oriented. He is a self-starter, not slack in activity, and he does not hold himself back. Others tend to perceive him in a positive and respectful way, as having leadership ability, and a certain dash and daring. The disadvantage is that he may move from project to project, dabbling here and there without mastering anything. He may also offend other, slower, people because he will tend to run over them.

The primary lesson to be learned from the two Features of Martyrdom and Impatience is the issue of self-respect. The Martyr does not have enough of it and the Impatient one has too much. All are equally worthy of the same respect. In the real game of life, there are neither winners nor losers, only players who are learning to play. There is neither success nor failure, only experience. There is neither too much time nor too little, just enough to do what is to be done and at the proper pace.

Phil Wittmeyer

Channeling About Impatience

While martyrdom feels it has to earn its entitlement, impatience has an inflated sense of entitlement. Its positive pole, "audacity," is the feeling of deserving to cut in front of the line, so to speak, and the negative pole, "intolerance," is particularly obnoxious about pushing others out of the way. It is not about accumulating, like greed, but having experiences now; again, the action axis is about doing. If someone combines impatience and martyrdom, he feels like an impatient martyr. Someone who leans more to the impatient side might view himself as suffering because of he is missing out, whereas one who tilts more toward martyrdom might suffer testily rather than silently; impatience is characterized by testiness.

Each of the obstacles has something in common with the role it shares its position with on the Michael chart.

Impatience is on the cardinal side of the action axis. It is in the same position as the role of king. In the negative pole, "tyranny," kings carry a sense of entitlement similar to impatience. Kings have a commanding presence that might remind you of audacity--it is expansive in an action way. The cardinal (expansive) obstacles not only expand but violate; they trespass boundaries. Since the ordinal ones contract, they harm self rather than others. Neither is better or worse.

In most cases, the chief obstacle originates from unresolved issues from past lives. However, when you incarnate with the intention of further dealing with them, you may choose a childhood situation that recreates their circumstances. In any case, one tends to interpret one's childhood experiences to confirm the view of the world formed earlier.

If you are in impatience, you might be coming off a series of lifetimes in which you were frustrated by not being able to do the things you wanted to accomplish. Maybe your friends got to go to sea and you had to stay home and help out with the farm, so you started to think of yourself as always missing out. Therefore, in your childhood in this lifetime, what others might interpret as ordinary limitations might, to you, seem like deprivations. You chomped at the bit to do things you were held back from, whereas others might be more accepting of the fact that one cannot do everything.

Shepherd Hoodwin -- From Michael On Chief Obstacles (Fears)

Could we have some general comments on Impatience?

THE CHIEF FEATURE OF IMPATIENCE OVERRIDE’S PLEASURE OFTEN BY DRIVING THE SOUL TO RUSH RATHER THAN TO JUST BE WITH THE SITUATION. THE PROVERB “HASTE MAKES WASTE” WAS FIRST UTTERED BY SOMEONE OBSERVING A SOUL IN IMPATIENCE. YOU BURN CALORIES IN HASTE.

I observed Impatience in a gas line today [this was at the time of gasoline rationing during the energy crisis due to Middle East turmoil].

WE WOULD SAY THAT THE QUEUES ARE VERY GOOD FOR THIS IN SPITE OF THE INCONVENIENCE. THEY DO ALLOW ONE TO PHOTOGRAPH ONESELF IN CHIEF FEATURE. THIS IS ONE WAY — RELAXATION FORCED, OF COURSE, IS ANOTHER.

I’d like a comment from Michael on how best to learn or deal with Impatience.

THE BEST WAY TO COUNTERACT THE CHIEF FEATURE OF IMPATIENCE IS TO DELIBERATELY EXPOSE YOURSELF TO EXASPERATING SITUATIONS AND THEN PHOTOGRAPH THE FEELINGS AROUND THE IMPATIENCE. USUALLY YOU WILL FIND THAT THE REACTION IS HABIT RATHER THAN EMOTION, AND AMOUNTS TO A TAPE LOOP.

Michael Teachings Transcripts

Next page | Stubbornness

The Chief Features (Fears): Self-Deprecation, Arrogance, Self-Destruction, Greed, Martyrdom, Impatience, Stubbornness

About Phil Wittmeyer

Phil is a long-time Michael student who has written several book-length manuscripts about the Michael teachings, many of them featured on this site. He has been an active member in the community for many years and can be found at most Michael gatherings.

Phil currently lives in Colorado.