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The Trap Of Inaction Mistaken For Patience
It’s easy to mistake inaction for patience. After all, isn’t it more or less the same thing?
How is inaction any different than patience? In both cases, we are not doing. We are not taking action.
But, as the expert in decision making and professional poker player Annie Duke explained, the quality of outcomes is not equal to the quality of decisions¹. You might have a good outcome from a poor decision due to luck. And as well, you can get a bad outcome from a good decision.
It’s like, sometimes running a red light will not result in an accident. It’s a poor decision with a good outcome. And you could get through the intersection with a green light and be hit by a car running its red light. Good decision and poor outcome.
So the differences between inaction and patience do not lie in the outcome. But in the decision process.
And you might ask — why does it matter if, in the end, the result is the same?
Well, when do you know you waited enough? When is it time to take action?
Are you patiently waiting for the “right moment” to ask for your promotion? Are you patiently waiting for the “right moment” to launch your new product? Or are you hiding behind “patience”…
