You can do better (than me). Episode 1: Patience

Let’s start with the soft skill that I’ve struggled with the most: patience. Impatience has been a driving force in my life, and I wish I’d conquered it earlier.

When I started university, I couldn’t stand the pace of the classes. It felt slow, and I thought I was wasting my time. So, I decided to skip most of them, focusing only on the exams, and I ended up finishing my degree in half the time. At the time, it seemed like the best solution—I could start my career earlier, I could skip the tedious parts. But as I look back now, I realize that impatience led me to make decisions that were more about avoiding uncertainty than making the most out of opportunities.

Impatience has been a recurring theme in my life. Whenever I feel doubt creeping in, instead of taking time to reassess or adapt, I tend to speed through. I’ve often rushed through projects, through life changes, even through entire careers—like when I moved from Buenos Aires to Barcelona. I didn’t take the time to reflect and ask myself if it was the right move. I was too afraid that waiting would cause me to second-guess and, worse, never follow through.

The fear of missing out, the fear of uncertainty—that’s what drove me to impatience. And let’s be real, a lot of it had to do with mistrust in myself. There was a voice in my head saying, “You better get this done before you change your mind, or before something else goes wrong.”

Impatience doesn’t allow for serendipity. It doesn’t leave room for life’s surprises, for the little gifts that happen when you slow down and let things unfold naturally. If you're always speeding through, you're bound to miss the magic of what life has to offer.

My impatience has also caused tension in my parenting. On one hand, I know I should treasure each fleeting moment with my kids. They grow up so fast, and I won’t get these moments back. On the other hand, there’s that part of me that wants them to grow up faster. I’d think, “It’ll be so much easier when they’re more independent.” But life isn’t about rushing to the next stage. It’s about being present for what’s happening now.

And let’s not forget my decision to study architecture. After my first career, I decided to go back to university just for the sake of learning something new. But halfway through, that old impatience kicked in. I wanted to rush through the process again, and it stole the joy out of something that was meant to be a passion project.

Now, at almost 50, I realize I’ve spent much of my life surfing the surface of experiences, never diving deep enough to appreciate them fully. I rushed to reduce the risk of second-guessing myself, but in the process, I may have missed out on life’s richness.