Active Patience: One Step at a Time
Written by the Micro Enterprise Department
Patience is a word that is not strange to us. From a tender age, we were always asked to be patient when we asked for something. Now that we have grown up, we now ask others to be patient. It’s one never-ending cycle of asking for patience and being patient. This is actually harder than it sounds. We all live in a world where everyone wants everything to be instant. From coffee to cash. Immediate results seem very appealing. Soren Kierkegaard says that patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown.
Patience can be defined as the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. It can also be defined as the ability to wait, to continue doing something despite difficulty, or to suffer without complaining or getting annoyed. The thing that holds us and encourages us to be patient is the hope that one day our efforts will bear fruit.“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.“ Arnold H. Glasow. The existence and working of Village HopeCore International is a result of patient efforts exercised by our founder Dr. K.K. Mugambi. Having experienced the bitter pangs of poverty as he grew up, he vowed to do something about it. He knew it would not be easy or happen as fast as he wanted to but he knew he had to try. He left Kenya in 1982 for the United States to pursue his education and while he was there he dedicated himself to make connections that would be beneficial to the achievement of his dream.
After many years of tireless efforts, the dream he had for HopeCore was finally realized. After a rigorous and extensive planning period, the pilot program was implemented. The 12 women of the Rwanchege Group agreed to be the first group to receive the loan and quickly exceeded expectations. To support the program, Kajira K. Mugambi and his team formed a corps of volunteers, established relationships with community-based organizations and government agencies, and opened offices in Chogoria, Nairobi, and Culver City, California.“Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement, and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.” ~ Brian Adams
“Patience is not just about waiting for something… it’s about how you wait, or your attitude while waiting.” ~ Joyce Meyer. Your attitude while waiting will determine how long you wait. At Village HopeCore, we teach our clients patience every day. We understand that good things come to those who wait and do this patiently. We teach them the value of perseverance and holding on. This is because if one does not exercise patience, it’s easy to despair along the way. Giving up sounds like the best option but the truth is that it’s not.
From practicing table banking and merry-go-round to six months of repaying their soft loan, to business training and ultimately normal loan funding it’s true to say that it’s not a one-day process. Even after they invest their loans into their proposed business ideas, the results are not immediate. It takes commitment and dedication to nurture their businesses so that they grow. The fruits to those who are committed are vibrant businesses that ultimately change their lives and those of their families for the better.“Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses, and disappointments; but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures.” ~ Joseph Addison. Our clients face numerous challenges during their journey towards success and those that have persevered enjoy the benefits of their hard work and we celebrate them. “Patience can’t be acquired overnight. It is just like building up a muscle. Every day you need to work on it.” Eknath Eswaran.