Let me set the premise of the rest of this story. I am not a barber. To make things more interesting, my son is seven years old and has more energy than the sun. To get him to sit down for a mere 5 minutes would be a miracle. I needed him to sit still for 20.
Just the other day my son and I was off on another haircut adventure. I went into the cabinet to grab the clippers, pulled in the high bar stool I use to have him sit on, and covered him with the plastic tarp to keep the hair from ruining his t-shirt and Star Wars whitey tighties. I began the haircut, like I always do, with a firm speech. It went something like this, "Ian I need you to sit in this chair and act like you got some sense so I can cut your hair. Don't you act a fool."
By the end of my speech it sounded more like pleading.
"Please Ian, just sit still and I promise you will be out of this chair in no time. I will give you some candy. Please man, please just sit still. You have to have some patience"
The funny thing is, the whole time I am saying this I can imagine my brother in law smiling from ear to ear. Before I started cutting Ian's hair, he did. I bet he is glad I picked up the clippers.
Finally after I was done pleading, the haircut began. I slowly and gracefully glided the clippers through his hair and immediately started to see the difference. He was slowly starting to look like a human again. For some odd reason, he managed to stay still for the first 7 minutes. Then I guess he got bored and all my positive momentum was immediately destroyed.
He started to kick his legs, swing his arms, moan, whine, and complain. He told me about how he didn't like haircuts and how I never let him do anything fun. He called me a bad dad, told me I am always mean to him, and that I am the worst at haircuts. I mean the kid was laying it on thick. If his vocabulary was a little more developed I am sure he would have let me know how he really felt.
I tried my best to calm him down and was somewhat successful. This was only because I took some time to explain to him why he had to sit still and what he will look like after the process was done. Then he was all in. The kid likes to look good.
When he understood the purpose, he was willing to sit through the discomfort to obtain the prize at the end. I had just taught my son how to be patient.
We all have been at the point of frustration at some time in our life. You know that place where you feel like you are stuck and you can't move forward. I am talking about that place where we know we need to shave, cut, clip or wax some people, things, and behaviors out of our lives but instead we hold on to them. Instead of getting out there to hustle, we would rather throw a tantrum, complaining about how things never go our way, or put the blame on everyone else but ourselves.
Our life experiences can be just like getting a haircut. Patience is the key.
We have got to learn to be patient and wait for our season. Success in anything takes time. You have to be molded, shaped and transformed to look like a completely different person than you were when the haircut started. What good is going to the barber if you come out looking the same?
In your life, you may feel like you are being overlooked. There might even be some things you think you are entitled to. In your own eyes you are ready to walk the red carpet but in reality there is toilet paper stuck on the bottom of your shoe.
I have a secret I have to share with you. Good things come to those who wait. Patience is a virtue. If we learn to not rush through our lives and give the barber a chance to finish our haircut, we can come out looking better than we ever have in our entire life.
So, no matter how long you have been waiting, stay in the chair. This is a great opportunity to observe the scenery and learn from the experience of others in the shop.
All that wiggling, whining and complaining does.... is get you a bad haircut.
Frank Jennings is the founder of A Spark Starts where he writes life changing inspiring stories to help others reach their full potential. This site is full of compelling stories based on the specific situations that we face in our lives. Stop by today and read about overcoming adversity, parenting, relationships, health, endurance and many other relevant and timely topics.
