By Editorial Staff
This world’s history boasts personalities with extraordinary patience- the patience which goes beyond a human’s understanding. Bearing this kind of patience, coupled with daily action toward your noble goal, you will accomplish the goal whatever the circumstances. One of these individuals who ooze this type of patience is Sergio Garcia Fernández, a Spanish professional golfer born on 9 February 1980. Patience for not less than 17 years, seeking to attain a goal but which remains very far from you, demands sheer mental toughness.
“Sergio Garcia turned professional in 1999. He had won to date 36 international professional golf tournaments. However, he was winless in major championships for his first 73 attempts since 1999. He finally won The Masters in 2017, his 74th major appearance. His ability to adapt and overcome his self-proclaimed ‘lack of mental toughness’ helped him win,” according to Dr. Robell in an account entitled “15 real examples of patience in history” on his website.
This article is situated within the context of Life In Humanity’s reporting series on patience as we have promised in this piece. We are now focusing on real and stunning cases of patience, in a bid to extract critical lessons from these cases. Meanwhile, let’s pause a bit, to ask “If a person like Garcia has tolerated passing this period, without having accomplished his dream yet; why can you accept to quit your dream?”
More on Garcia
Anthony Robbins is an American businessman with a stunning background. If you want to be more enlightened on his background, you can click on “Who would have guessed that this decision would bring me to such an incredible moment?” Robbins. Never give up and Tony Robbins’ hardships: proof that with adversity, you are on the right path to incredible success and transformation. In his best-seller book “Awaken the Giant Within”, he states “We all have dreams… We all want to believe deep down in our souls that we have a special gift, that we can make a difference, that we can touch others in a special way, and that we can make the world a better place. At one time in our lives, we all had a vision for the quality of life that we desire and deserve. Yet, for many of us, those dreams have become so shrouded [buried] in the frustrations and routines of daily life that we no longer even make an effort to accomplish them.
For far too many, the dream has dissipated—and with it, so has the will to shape our destinies. Many have lost that sense of certainty that creates the winner’s edge. My life’s quest has been to restore the dream and to make it real, to get each of us to remember and use the unlimited power that lies sleeping within us all.”
The late William Walker Atkinson- who was an American attorney, publisher, author and originator of the New Thought movement- under the pseudonym of Theron Q. Dumont in his book “The Power of Concentration” said “It is my opinion that with the right kind of training every man could be a success. It is really a shame that so many men and women, rich in ability and talent, are allowed to go to waste, so to speak. At first all they need is a little help to get them back on their feet, but usually they get a knock downwards instead.”
“All they need to be shown is that there is within them an omnipotent source that is ready to aid them, providing they will make use of it. Their minds only have to be turned from despair to hope to make them regain their hold. Today we must conquer our weakening tendencies alone. Don’t expect anyone to help you. Just take one big brace, make firm resolutions, and resolve to conquer your weaknesses and vices. Really none can do this for you. They can encourage you; that is all.”
This passage reveals what he meant by an omnipotent source always ready to assist people to realize their goals which have to stand just. “Through the Indestructible and Unconquerable Law, you can in time accomplish all right things and therefore do not be afraid to undertake whatever you really desire to accomplish and are willing to pay for in effort. Anything that is right is possible. That which is necessary will inevitably take place.
If something is right, it is your duty to do it, though the whole world thinks it to be wrong. ‘God and one are always a majority,’ or in plain words, that omnipotent interior law which is God, and the organism that represents you is able to conquer the whole world if your cause is absolutely just. Don’t say I wish I was a great man. You can do anything that is proper and you want to do. Just say: you can. You will. You must. Just realize this and the rest is easy. You have the latent faculties and forces to subdue anything that tries to interfere with your plans.”
He adds “Let the troubles and responsibilities of life come thick and fast. I am ready for them. My soul is unconquerable. I represent the-Infinite law of force, or of all power. This God within is my all-sufficient strength and ever-present help in time of trouble. The more difficulties, the greater its triumphs through me.
The harder my trials, the faster I go in the development of my inherent-strength. Let all else fail me. This interior reliance is all-sufficient. The right must prevail. I demand wisdom and power to know and follow the right. My higher-self is all-wise. I now draw nearer to it. There are invisible forces ready to help you.”
You can rarely execute Robbins and Atkinson’s statements unless you possess patience- and perhaps the exceptional patience, the one which goes beyond normal human limits. When Garcia was 20 years old, he told ESPN “You’ve just got to be very patient and realize that sometimes even if you make bogey it’s not that bad. If you play well and stay patient, you can always win a U.S. Open or any major.”
Then, ESPN reported “Despite his tender age, Garcia, who turned professional 14 months ago, has already shown that he can play at the highest levels of golf.”
Playing at the highest levels of golf came true, patience acting as a key driver- if not the crucial one. “He knows his time will come in the majors — as long as he remains patient,” wrote ESPN. “I think I have to take my time. If I win now, that will be great. But the good thing is that I’m only 20 years old, so I’m hopefully going to play a lot of majors — and hopefully I’ll be able to win some of them.
I think you’ve just got to try to play well. If you win, perfect. If not, just wait,” he underlined to ESPN. Oxford Property Consulting has written “ Sergio Garcia ended his 18 year wait for a Major Victory on Sunday. By the look on his face, the wait only made things sweeter.” “It was the early twilight hours of 9th April 2017 when Sergio Garcia finally broke his Majors duck and clinched the Masters at Augusta National, Georgia.”
Garcia embraced what we can call the right mindset. ESP reported “Garcia is also wise enough to know he should not get absorbed in trying to beat Woods, the world’s top player and the heavy favorite to win his first U.S. Open this week.” He explained “I think if you focus on one player, and you’re trying to do some of the stuff he does, it can be bad because you forget about yourself. You’ve got to try to be your own person and realize you’re going to have some bad tournaments. Just try to be yourself and just try to play your own game.”
Garcia is a living testament that with patience, you can rarely fail to realize your dream as long as you consistently take action to achieve it. The late Atkinson argued “I can think of nothing, but lack of health, that should interfere with one becoming successful. There is no other handicap that you should not be able to overcome. To overcome a handicap, all that it is necessary to do is to use more determination and grit and will. The man with grit and will, may be poor today and wealthy in a few years; will power is a better asset than money; Will will carry you over chasms of failure, if you but give it the chance.”
While he argued that at least the lack of health should impede a person’s success, today the world boasts people who have managed to defeat maximally terrible health cases. One of them is Michaels Brenda, featured in this piece, who has beaten a cancer which had reached the final stage. Even one of the most prominent physicians, Dr. Jeffrey Rediger with his 17 year-research book, provides some other compelling examples of people like Brenda.
The late Atkinson further stated that men and women rising to the highest positions are those who have usually had to gain their victories against big odds. “Think of the hardships many of our inventors have gone through before they became a success. Usually they have been very much misunderstood by relatives and friends. Very often they did not have the bare necessities of life, yet, by sheer determination and resolute courage, they managed to exist somehow until they perfected their inventions, which afterwards greatly helped in bettering the condition of others.”
“Everyone really wants to do something, but there are few that will put forward the needed effort to make the necessary sacrifice to secure it. There is only one way to accomplish anything and that is to go ahead and do it. A man may accomplish almost anything today, if he just sets his heart on doing it and lets nothing interfere with his progress. Obstacles are quickly overcome by the man that sets out to accomplish his heart’s desire. The ‘bigger’ the man, the smaller the obstacle appears. The ‘smaller’ the man the greater the obstacle appears. Always look at the advantage you gain by overcoming obstacles, and it will give you the needed courage for their conquest.” One of extremely striking examples of inventors who have conquered their adversities with patience and unswerving determination is the Wright Brothers. It is they that have invented an airplane, as you will find it in this article which also covers other groundbreaking inventions that have gone through the same process: patience and unshakable commitment.
For you to exert the required effort or undergo the necessary sacrifice, patience must occupy the lion’s share. Atkinson advised us not to expect that we would always perform easy sailing. Tough sailing will certainly necessitate patience like Garcia’s. “Parts of your journey are likely to be rough. Don’t let the rough places put you out of commission.
Keep on with the journey. Just the way you weather the storm shows what material you are made of. Never sit down and complain of the rough places, but think how nice the pleasant stretches were. View with delight the smooth plains that are in front of you. Do not let a setback stop you. Think of it as a mere incident that has to be overcome before you can reach your goal,” he said.
Essential lesson and response to the question
At the beginning of this piece, we raised this question “If a person like Garcia has tolerated passing this period, without having accomplished his dream yet; why can you accept to quit your dream?” If a person like Garcia has stood not less than seventeen long years of near-misses, heartbreaks, public scrutiny, and self-doubt before finally conquering The Masters, why should you accept quitting your dream after a few setbacks?
Dreams are not validated by speed but by endurance. The distance between effort and achievement is often measured in patience, not in days. When progress seems invisible, character- exceptional ability to handle difficulties- is being forged. When results delay, resilience is being built. Garcia’s seventy-three unsuccessful major attempts did not constitute failures; they amounted to preparations. Every apparent loss was refining his focus, strengthening his mindset, and maturing his confidence.
Quitting is usually a decision adopted in an emotional moment, but success stands as the outcome of sustained conviction. If your goal is noble, just, and aligned with your deepest purpose, then persistence becomes a moral responsibility, not merely an option. History consistently proves that those who endure longer certainly rise higher. The difference between the one who achieves and the one who does not is rarely talent; it is the refusal to abandon the journey.
So why to quit? Because it is hard? It was intensely hard for Garcia. Because it takes time? It required him nearly two decades. Because others advance faster? He competed in the era of giants like Tiger Woods, yet he chose patience over comparison. Because you fear temporary defeat? Defeat is only permanent when you surrender.
The essential lesson is this: if your cause is right, if your dream uplifts you and potentially benefits others, then quitting is the only true failure. Patience does not mean passive waiting; it means active endurance. It means continuing to prepare, to improve, to believe, even when applause is absent. Your breakthrough may be closer than you think — perhaps one more effort away, one more season away, one more disciplined step away.
Therefore, you bear no rational reason to quit. If others have waited ten, fifteen, or seventeen or even 27 years for their moment, then your present delay does not constitute a verdict; it represents a process. Continue chasing your game. Refine your craft. Guard your mindset. Act daily. And like Garcia, when your moment finally arrives, the long wait will render the victory infinitely sweeter.
If not convinced yet, open this article on Stephanie Louise Kwolek who waited for 10 years to also realize her ambition which has immensely helped the world in not less than 200 applications including neutralizing bullets.